Authors
Collins-JW; Bell-JL; Gronqvist-RA; Courtney-TK; Sorock-GS; Chang-WR; Wolf-L; Chiou-S; Evanoff-B
Source
Proceedings of the 16th World Congress on Ergonomics (IEA2006), Maastricht, The Netherlands, July 10-14, 2006. Pikaar RN, Koningsveld EAP, Settels PJM, eds., Madison, WI: International Ergonomics Association, 2006 Jul; :1-5
Abstract
Background: Hospitals are diverse work environments with same-level STF incidence rates that are 67% higher than all other U.S. private industry. Objective: To conduct laboratory and field research to identify risk factors for STF incidents and evaluate a "best practices" STF prevention program in three hospitals. Design: Study methods included: 1) a descriptive analysis of six-years of pre-intervention STF incident data, 2) a case followback field study to examine transient risk factors using a case-crossover design, 3) laboratory evaluations of flooring and footwear, and 4) on-site hazard assessments, and 5) a field study to evaluate a STF prevention program. Results: 1) The descriptive analysis identified n=314 workers' compensation claims for STF injuries, 2) the follow-back field study identified contaminants and surface transitions as transient risk factors, 3) the laboratory study identified promising slip-resistant shoes and flooring, and 4) preliminary analyses of 9 years of workers' compensation data indicate that the multifaceted "best practices" STF prevention program resulted in an estimated 25% reduction in workers' compensation injury incidence rates in the three study hospitals. Conclusions: Food service workers and nursing staff are at highest risk of STF injury. This study successfully applied multiple research methods to identify key design elements of a targeted STF prevention program.
Keywords
Injury-prevention; Injuries; Traumatic-injuries; Control-technology; Health-care-facilities; Health-care-personnel; Nurses; Ergonomics
Contact
National lnstitute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown WV 26505 USA
Document Type
Conference/Symposia Proceedings
Editors
Pikaar-RN; Koningsveld-EAP; Settels-PJM
Priority Area
Disease and Injury: Traumatic Injuries
Source Name
Proceedings of the 16th World Congress on Ergonomics (IEA2006), Maastricht, The Netherlands, July 10-14, 2006