Occupational accidents in a hospital setting: An epidemiological analysis

Abstract This study is based on an analysis of routinely submitted reports on occupational accidents experienced by the workers of a large (about 3,000 employees) modern hospital during a three year study period. For the total hospital staff, the annual injury incidence rate (AIIR) was 89.2 per 1,000 workers per year, the mean duration of absence from work per injury 11.3 days, and the mean number of work days lost per worker per year 0.98 days. Of the total number of injuries, 20.9% did not cause absence from work, while 15.1% resulted in more than 20 work days lost. Men suffered work accidents more frequently than women, and their injuries were more severe. Male workers younger than 25 years were the most prone to work accidents (AIIR = 395); among female workers the highest AIIR (174) was observed in the oldest group. Unskilled and skilled workers employed predominantly in housekeeping and maintenance departments, laundry and catering exhibited the highest, and physicians the lowest accident frequencies; but the reverse was true with respect to the severity of injuries. Recently-employed workers appear to have the highest accident risk. A quarter of the total number of accidents were commuting accidents; most of the others occurred in treatment departments. The most common type of accident was falls; of injuries the most prevalent were lacerations and abrasions; and two-thirds of the injuries affected the limbs. The similarity between the work accident rates in this hospital and in the country as a whole gives rise to concern and indicates a need for further investigation and more active implementation of preventive measures