Griffin Stephanie C, Regan Tracy L, Harber Philip, Lutz Eric A, Hu Chengcheng, Peate Wayne F, Burgess Jefferey L
Department of Community, Environment & Policy, Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH), The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Department of Economics, Boston College, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Inj Prev. 2016 Jun;22(3):181-8. doi: 10.1136/injuryprev-2015-041785. Epub 2015 Nov 11.
Firefighting is a hazardous profession and firefighters suffer workplace injury at a higher rate than most US workers. Decreased physical fitness is associated with injury in firefighters. A physical fitness intervention was implemented among Tucson Fire Department recruit firefighters with the goals of decreasing injury and compensation claims frequency and costs during the recruit academy, and over the subsequent probationary year.
Department injury records were analysed and described by body part, injury type and mechanism of injury. Injury and workers' compensation claims outcomes from the recruit academy initiation through the 12-month probationary period for the intervention recruit class were compared with controls from three historical classes.
The majority of injuries were sprains and strains (65.4%), the most common mechanism of injury was acute overexertion (67.9%) and the lower extremity was the most commonly affected body region (61.7%). The intervention class experienced significantly fewer injuries overall and during the probationary year (p=0.009), filed fewer claims (p=0.028) and experienced claims cost savings of approximately US$33 000 (2013) from avoided injury and reduced claims costs. The estimated costs for programme implementation were $32 192 leading to a 1-year return on investment of 2.4%.
We observed reductions in injury occurrence and compensation costs among Probationary Firefighter Fitness (PFF-Fit) programme participants compared with historical controls. The initiation of the PFF-Fit programme has demonstrated promise in reducing injury and claims costs; however, continued research is needed to better understand the programme's potential effectiveness with additional recruit classes and carryover effects into the recruit's career injury potential.
消防工作是一项危险职业,消防员遭受工作场所伤害的比率高于大多数美国工人。体能下降与消防员受伤有关。图森消防局新招募的消防员实施了一项体能干预措施,目标是在新兵训练期间以及随后的试用期内减少受伤和工伤赔偿的频率及成本。
分析并按身体部位、损伤类型和损伤机制描述部门的损伤记录。将干预新兵班从新兵训练开始到12个月试用期的损伤和工伤赔偿结果与三个历史班级的对照组进行比较。
大多数损伤为扭伤和拉伤(65.4%),最常见的损伤机制是急性过度劳累(67.9%),下肢是最常受影响的身体部位(61.7%)。干预组总体上和试用期内受伤明显较少(p=0.009),提出的索赔较少(p=0.028),因避免受伤和减少索赔成本而节省了约33000美元(2013年)的索赔成本。项目实施的估计成本为32192美元,1年投资回报率为2.4%。
与历史对照组相比,我们观察到试用期消防员体能(PFF-Fit)项目参与者的受伤发生率和赔偿成本有所降低。PFF-Fit项目的启动已显示出在降低受伤和索赔成本方面的前景;然而,需要持续研究以更好地了解该项目对更多新兵班级的潜在有效性以及对新兵职业生涯受伤可能性的延续影响。