The study investigated whether occupational accident risks were equally distributed across age categories over time in the context of production reorganization and work rationalization in a Swedish iron ore mine between 1980 and 1993. Three phases of reorganization, defined by productivity levels, and four age categories were related to age-related accident risk ratios using the Poisson-regression method. Accident risk ratios (ARRs) were found systematically to be higher during the two first phases and also for younger workers, in the cases of both nonspecific and specific accident risks. The steady reduction in accident rates observed did not favor all age groups of workers to the same extent. For two accident patterns out of five, workers in their thirties and forties recorded higher ARRs than those in their fifties.
The paper examines age-related accident risks faced by Swedish male iron-ore miners. A retrospective longitudinal analysis of national registers was conducted over a ten-year period using three times periods of five years and five age categories. Age-related accident frequency, characteristics and severity were examined. High accident ratios were rare among older miners whatever the time period, but some accident patterns became substantially more frequent in some older age cohorts over the years. Injuries tended to be more severe in older age groups, all accidents aggregated as well as by accident pattern. It is concluded that inequality in risk exposure between age groups may explain the lower accident ratios found among older workers, but also that the aging of a working population may lead to the application of task-assignment principles that penalize older workers, at least with regard to certain specific accident risks.
The authors analyzed age-related structure of miners population in major occupational groups with connection to special work conditions in one mine of Kouzbass. The data obtained prove certain influence of work conditions on age-related structure of occupational population.
Analysing factors related to slipping, stumbling, and falling accidents at work: Application of data mining methods to Finnish occupational accidents and diseases statistics database.
Department of Industrial Management, Center for Safety Management and Engineering, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 541, FI-33101 Tampere, Finland. noora.nenonen@tut.fi
The utilisation of data mining methods has become common in many fields. In occupational accident analysis, however, these methods are still rarely exploited. This study applies methods of data mining (decision tree and association rules) to the Finnish national occupational accidents and diseases statistics database to analyse factors related to slipping, stumbling, and falling (SSF) accidents at work from 2006 to 2007. SSF accidents at work constitute a large proportion (22%) of all accidents at work in Finland. In addition, they are more likely to result in longer periods of incapacity for work than other workplace accidents. The most important factor influencing whether or not an accident at work is related to SSF is the specific physical activity of movement. In addition, the risk of SSF accidents at work seems to depend on the occupation and the age of the worker. The results were in line with previous research. Hence the application of data mining methods was considered successful. The results did not reveal anything unexpected though. Nevertheless, because of the capability to illustrate a large dataset and relationships between variables easily, data mining methods were seen as a useful supplementary method in analysing occupational accident data.
Characteristics, frequency and distribution of vertebrogenic diseases involving cervico-brachial region were studied in more than 1,000 miners from asian North and East exposed to vibration. The data were compared with the results of examination of drivers. The investigation revealed a high level of vertebrogenic cervical pain and cervico-brachial pain in miners with a long length of service, especially in those suffering from vibration disease and frequent osteochondrosis manifestation in younger age, especially in subjects working beyond the Polar Circle. Occupational hazards are proved to play a leading role in the early development of vertebrogenic diseases, and vibration disease predisposes to such pathology. The results make possible to consider the vertebrogenic cervical pain and cervico-brachial pain as occupational diseases in young-aged workers with long length of service or evaluate such diseases as complications of vibration disease in individuals facing this occupational pathology.
The paper comparatively assesses the level and qualitative spectrum of chromosomal aberrations (CA) in 192 workers engaged in 3 industries (cake and by-product, aluminum, and mining concentration processes). The maximum and minimum rates (6.43(+)-0.32% and 3.81(+)-0.46%) of CA have been observed in those engaged in cake and by-product and mining concentration processes, respectively. The combined influence of chemical and radiation factors are a cause of the higher rate of CA. Gender- and age-specific features do not effect on the level of structural CA. Smoking is a factor of their slight modification as there are no significant differences in the frequencies of aberrations between smokers and non-smokers in any professional group. There is an indirect relationship between the frequency of CA and the length of service, which may be different under the conditions of various industries.
The fatty acid spectrum of an expired air condensate was studied in the workers of the Kharanor coal stripping and in the dwellers of Chita (a control group). Regularities in the changes of the expired air fatty acid profile were assessed by the degree of exposure to coal dust and by the length of service. The findings indicated the relationship of profile changes with the degree of exposure to occupational noxious agents: the proportion of saturated fatty acids decreases much more significantly in workers who were directly exposed to the dust than in those were indirectly done. It is concluded that the fatty acid composition of an expired air condensate adequately reflects the changes occurring in the respiratory system upon exposure to dust.
