Politis Pantelis, Lepetsos Panagiotis, Jelastopulu Eleni, Megas Panagiotis, Leotsinidis Michalis
Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Patras, Patras, GRC.
Department of Orthopedics, Athens Medical Center, Athens, GRC.
Cureus. 2023 May 29;15(5):e39657. doi: 10.7759/cureus.39657. eCollection 2023 May.
Background Olive gathering involves tree climbing, carrying heavy loads, navigating rough terrain, and using sharp tools. However, little is known about occupational injuries among olive workers. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of occupational injuries among olive workers in a rural Greek area and to assess the financial burden on the health system and insurance funds. Methods A questionnaire was administered to 166 olive workers in the Aigialeia municipality in the Achaia region, Greece. The questionnaire contained detailed information on demographic characteristics, medical history, working environment, protective measures, gathering tools, and type and site of injuries. Moreover, data were recorded about the duration of hospitalization, medical examinations and treatment received, sick leaves, complications, and rate of re-injury. Direct economic costs were calculated for hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients. The associations between olive workers' characteristics, risk factors, and occupational injury within the last year were examined using log-binomial regression models. Results In total, 85 injuries were recorded in 50 workers. The prevalence of one or more injuries in the last year was 30.1%. Factors associated with a higher rate of injury were male gender, age > 50 years, working experience > 24 years, history of arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus, climbing habits, and non-use of protective gloves. The average cost of agricultural injuries was more than 1400 € per injury. The cost seems to be associated with the severity of the injury, as injuries requiring hospitalization were associated with increased costs, higher cost of medication, as well as more days of sick leave. Losses due to sick leave cause the greatest financial costs. Conclusions Farm-related injuries are quite usual among olive workers in Greece. Injury risk is influenced by gender, age, working experience, medical history, climbing habits, and use of protective gloves. Days off work have the greatest financial cost. These findings can be useful as a starting point to train olive workers to reduce the incidence of farm-related injuries in Greece. Knowledge of risk factors for farm-related injuries and diseases could help the development of proper interventions to minimize the problem.
背景 橄榄采摘工作包括爬树、搬运重物、在崎岖地形行走以及使用锋利工具。然而，对于橄榄工人的职业伤害了解甚少。本研究的目的是评估希腊农村地区橄榄工人职业伤害的患病率及危险因素，并评估对卫生系统和保险基金的经济负担。方法 对希腊阿哈伊亚地区艾伊盖莱亚市的166名橄榄工人进行问卷调查。问卷包含有关人口统计学特征、病史、工作环境、防护措施、采摘工具以及伤害类型和部位的详细信息。此外，还记录了住院时间、接受的医学检查和治疗、病假、并发症以及再次受伤率的数据。计算了住院和非住院患者的直接经济成本。使用对数二项回归模型检验了橄榄工人的特征、危险因素与去年职业伤害之间的关联。结果 总共在50名工人中记录到85起伤害。去年发生一次或多次伤害的患病率为30.1%。与较高伤害率相关的因素包括男性、年龄>50岁、工作经验>24年、动脉高血压和糖尿病病史、攀爬习惯以及不使用防护手套。农业伤害的平均成本超过每次伤害1400欧元。成本似乎与伤害的严重程度相关，因为需要住院治疗的伤害与成本增加、药物成本较高以及病假天数较多有关。病假造成的损失导致最大的经济成本。结论 在希腊，与农场相关的伤害在橄榄工人中相当常见。伤害风险受性别、年龄、工作经验、病史、攀爬习惯和防护手套使用情况的影响。停工天数造成的经济成本最大。这些发现可作为培训橄榄工人以降低希腊与农场相关伤害发生率的起点。了解与农场相关的伤害和疾病的危险因素有助于制定适当的干预措施以尽量减少该问题。
