@article{ref1,
title="Occupational and environmental risk factors for falls among workers in the healthcare sector",
journal="Ergonomics",
year="2010",
author="Drebit, S. and Shajari, Salomeh and Alamgir, H. and Yu, Seungdo and Keen, D.",
volume="53",
number="4",
pages="525-536",
abstract="Falls are a leading cause of occupational injury for workers in healthcare, yet the risk factors of falls in this sector are understudied. Falls resulting in workers' compensation for time-loss from work from 2004-2007 for healthcare workers in British Columbia (BC) were extracted from a standardised incident-reporting database. Productive hours were derived from payroll data for the denominator to produce injury rates; relative risks were derived through Poisson regression modelling. A total of 411 falls were accepted for time-loss compensation. Compared to registered nurses, facility support workers (risk ratio (95% CI) = 6.29 (4.56-8.69)) and community health workers (6.58 (3.76-11.50)) were at high risk for falls. Falls predominantly occurred outdoors, in patients' rooms and kitchens depending on occupation and sub-sector. Slippery surfaces due to icy conditions or liquid contaminants were a leading contributing factor. Falls were more frequent in the colder months (January-March). The risk of falls varies by nature of work, location and worker demographics. The findings of this research will be useful for developing evidence-based interventions. Statement of Relevance: Falls are a major cause of occupational injury for healthcare workers. This study examined risk factors including occupation type, workplace design, work setting, work organisation and environmental conditions in a large healthcare worker population in BC, Canada. The findings of this research should contribute towards developing evidence-based interventions.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0014-0139",
doi="10.1080/00140130903528178",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00140130903528178"
}