A study co-authored by Boston University researchers and published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine Workplace found a workplace injury significantly raises a person’s risk of overdose death or suicide, according to www.constructiondive.com.
To estimate the association between workplace injury and death, researchers looked at 100,806 workers in New Mexico—36,034 of whom had lost-time injuries from 1994 through 2000—and used information that included workers’ compensation, Social Security Administration earnings and mortality data through 2013. Researchers also examined the National Death Index’s cause of death data through 2017.
An injury serious enough to trigger at least one week off from work almost tripled the combined risk of suicide and overdose death among women and increased the risk by 50% among men. The study found men with a past lost-time injury were 72% more likely to die from suicide and 29% more likely to die from drug-related causes. Women with lost-time injuries were 92% more likely to die from suicide and 193% more likely to die from drug-related causes.
“Improved pain treatment, better treatment of substance use disorders and treatment of post-injury depression may substantially reduce mortality consequent to workplace injuries,” said Leslie Boden, senior author for the study.
Each year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration publishes a list of the top 10 most frequent workplace safety violations. The agency recommends employers view the list as a starting point for workplace safety.
“If all employers simply corrected the top 10 hazards, we are confident the number of deaths, amputations and hospitalizations would drastically decline,” OSHA said.
Following is OSHA’s Top 10 list for fiscal year 2018:
- Fall protection, construction
- Hazard communication standard, general industry
- Scaffolding, general requirements, construction
- Respiratory protection, general industry
- Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), general industry
- Ladders, construction
- Powered industrial trucks, general industry
- Fall protection—training requirements
- Machinery and machine guarding, general requirements
- Eye and face protection
For more information about workplace safety, visit www.osha.gov.
