Occupational accidents and alcohol consumption in Spain.

The real impact that alcohol consumption has on occupational accidents is unknown. We estimate the percentage of occupational accidents related to the regular consumption of alcohol in the population through the population attributable proportion (PAP). Spanish National Health Survey data were used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and prevalence of alcohol consumption. The study restricted the selection of individuals by age and sex, using only interviews of men aged between 16 and 64 years. The results obtained show that approximately 17% of all occupational accidents can be attributable to alcohol consumption; 19% aged 16-24 years, 21% in those aged 25-44, and 9% in those aged 45-64. Although this methodology has some limitations, the advantages of this kind of study are important in public health because the magnitude of the problem, the potential impact of different strategies and the population groups most susceptible to intervention are addressed.