University of Michigan, Department of Economics, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Inj Prev. 2009 Jun;15(3):176-82. doi: 10.1136/ip.2008.020024.
Occupational eye injuries are a significant source of injury in the workplace. Little population-based research in the area has been conducted, and is necessary for developing and prioritizing effective interventions.
Workers' compensation data from the state of Kentucky for the years 1994-2003 were analysed by demographics, injury nature and cause, cost, and occupational and industrial characteristics. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics' Current Population Survey was utilised to compute injury rates for demographic and occupational groups.
There were 10,545 claims of ocular injury, representing 6.29 claims per 10,000 workers on average annually. A substantial drop in the claim rate was found after the state passed monetary penalties for injuries caused by employer negligence or OSHA violations. Claims by men were over three times more likely than those by women to have associated claim costs (OR 0.52; 95% CI 0.32 to 0.85; p = 0.009). The highest eye injury rates per 10,000 of 13.46 (95% CI 12.86 to 14.07) were found for the helpers/labourers occupation, and of 19.95 (95% CI 18.73 to 21.17) for the construction industry. The total cost of claim payments over the period was over $3,480,000, and average cost per claim approximated $331.
Eye injuries remain a significant risk to worker health, especially among men in jobs requiring intensive manual labour. Evidence showed that increased legislative regulation led to a decline in eye injuries, which was consistent with other recent findings in the area. Additionally, targeting groups most at risk, increasing worker training, providing effective eye protection equipment, and developing workplace safety cultures may together reduce occupational eye injuries.
职业性眼部损伤是工作场所中一个重要的损伤来源。在这一领域，很少有基于人群的研究，因此需要开展此类研究，以便制定和优先考虑有效的干预措施。
分析了肯塔基州 1994 年至 2003 年期间工人赔偿数据，分析内容包括人口统计学、损伤性质和原因、费用以及职业和工业特征。利用美国劳工统计局的当前人口调查计算了人口统计学和职业群体的损伤率。
共收到 10545 例眼部损伤索赔，平均每年每 10000 名工人中有 6.29 例索赔。州政府对雇主疏忽或违反 OSHA 规定导致的伤害处以罚款后，索赔率大幅下降。男性索赔的可能性是女性的三倍多，与索赔费用相关（比值比 0.52；95%可信区间 0.32 至 0.85；p = 0.009）。每 10000 人中有 13.46 人（95%可信区间 12.86 至 14.07）的眼部损伤率最高的职业是帮手/体力劳动者，每 10000 人中有 19.95 人（95%可信区间 18.73 至 21.17）的损伤率最高的行业是建筑业。在此期间，索赔支付总额超过 348 万美元，平均每个索赔的费用约为 331 美元。
眼部损伤仍然是工人健康的一个重大风险，尤其是在需要密集体力劳动的男性工人中。证据表明，立法监管的加强导致眼部损伤的减少，这与该领域最近的其他发现一致。此外，针对高风险人群，增加工人培训，提供有效的眼部保护设备，以及建立工作场所安全文化，可能共同减少职业性眼部损伤。
