Environmental Health & Safety

Biography

Biography: Nimisha Kalia

Abstract

Background: Work related injuries in the United States have steadily declined over the past three decades despite an aging workforce. This is attributable to a number of factors, including safer work programs (such as behavioral safety program, safety committees, and an emphasis on ergonomics in the workplace) and a decline in the proportion of the workforce in manufacturing.
Objective: To determine the frequency and the age-adjusted frequency of back, knee and shoulder injuries in a manufacturing setting over a 12-year period (2003-2015).
Method: 35,662 work related injury claim with greater than three days of missed work were analyzed. Descriptive analysis methods were used to compare claim frequency by year.
Results: Age-adjusted number of back injuries decreased over a 12-year period (2.44/100 employees in 2003 compared to 0.56 /100 employees in 2015). Knee and shoulder injuries remained relatively constant over 12 year period. Knee injuries were 0.78/100 employees in 2003 compared to 0.42/100 employees in 2015. Shoulder injuries were 0.44/100 employees in 2003 and 0.42/100 employees in 2015.
Conclusion: Age-adjusted number of back injuries decreased over a 12-year period. This parallels the national U.S. trend of decreased work related injuries, and is likely related to safer work environments. However, knee and shoulder injuries remained constant over 12-year period while other conditions declined. This could be due to degenerative disease in an aging workforce.