Citation

Sears JM, Bowman SM, Silverstein BA. J. Occup. Environ. Med. 2012; 54(10): 1239-1245.

Affiliation

From the Departments of Health Services (Dr Sears) and Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences (Dr Silverstein), School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA; Center for Injury Research and Policy, Department of Health Policy and Management (Dr Bowman), Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; and Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (Dr Silverstein), Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Olympia, WA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/JOM.0b013e31825a34ed

PMID

22975666

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:: Disproportionate occupational injury rates for Latinos are well documented, but there is limited information about whether disparity is increasing over time. This study describes trends in the burden of work-related traumatic injuries sustained by Latinos in Washington State. METHODS:: Washington State Trauma Registry data from 1998 to 2008 were used to model annual change in the odds that a work-related traumatic injury was sustained by a Latino, controlling for demographics, injury-related factors, and Latino representation in the underlying labor force. RESULTS:: We found a 5% mean annual increase in the odds that a comparable work-related traumatic injury was sustained by a Latino (P = 0.007). Falls in industrial/mine/quarry locations were the strongest contributor to increasing disparity. CONCLUSIONS:: Latinos bear an increasingly disproportionate burden of occupational injuries and are less likely to have health insurance coverage aside from workers' compensation.

Language: en