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Work-related psychosocial hazards are on the verge of surpassing many other occupational hazards in their contribution to ill-health, injury, disability, direct and indirect costs, and impact on business and national productivity. The risks associated with exposure to psychosocial hazards at work are compounded by the increasing background prevalence of mental health disorders in the working-age population. The extensive and cumulative impacts of these exposures represent an alarming public health problem that merits immediate, increased attention. In this paper, we review the linkage between work-related psychosocial hazards and adverse effects, their economic burden, and interventions to prevent and control these hazards. We identify six crucial societal actions: (1) increase awareness of this critical issue through a comprehensive public campaign; (2) increase etiologic, intervention, and implementation research; (3) initiate or augment surveillance efforts; (4) increase translation of research findings into guidance for employers and workers; (5) increase the number and diversity of professionals skilled in preventing and addressing psychosocial hazards; and (6) develop a national regulatory or consensus standard to prevent and control work-related psychosocial hazards., (Published 2024. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. American Journal of Industrial Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Workplace and non-workplace homicides in the United States (U.S.) have declined for over 30 years until recently. This study was conducted to address the change in trends for both workplace and non-workplace homicides and to evaluate the homogeneity of the change in workplace homicides by specified categories. Joinpoint and autoregressive models were used to assess trends of U.S. workplace and non-workplace homicides utilizing surveillance data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1994 through 2021. Both workplace and non-workplace homicides decreased significantly from 1994 through 2014. Workplace homicides showed no significant trend from 2014 through 2021 (p = 0.79), while non-workplace homicides showed a significant average annual increase of 4.1% from 2014 through 2020 (p = 0.0013). The large decreases in the trend of workplace homicides occurring during a criminal act, such as robbery, leveled off and started to increase by the end of the study period (p < 0.0001). Declines in workplace homicides due to shootings also leveled off and started to increase by the end of the study period (p < 0.0001). U.S. workplace and non-workplace homicide rates declined from the 1990s until around 2014. Trends in workplace homicides varied by the types of the homicide committed and by the type of employee that was the victim. Criminal-intent-related events, such as robbery, appear to be the largest contributor to changes in workplace homicides. Researchers and industry leaders could develop and evaluate interventions that further address criminal-intent-related workplace homicides., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Occupational injuries are common among law enforcement officers (LEOs) and can impact an agency's ability to serve communities. Workers' compensation (WC) data are an underutilized source for occupational injury surveillance in the law enforcement field., Methods: LEOs WC claims from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (OHBWC) from 2001 to 2019 were identified based on manual review of the occupation title and injury description. Worker, employer, incident, and injury characteristics were described by claim type-medical-only (MO) and lost-time (8 or more days away from work). Data are presented using injury claim counts., Results: From 2001 to 2019, 50,793 WC claims were identified among Ohio LEOs. Of these, 68% were MO claims (n = 34,622). WC claims significantly decreased over the 19-year period (p < 0.001). Seventy-five percent of WC claims were from a LEO with more than one claim and of these, 34% were from a LEO with five or more claims during the study period. Male officers and those aged 25-54 years incurred the highest proportion of total claims (87.8% & 91.8%, respectively). Violence (n = 17,247; 34%), falls/slips/trips (n = 9079; 17.9%), and transportation events (n = 7977; 15.7%) were the leading events. Among the 50,793 claims, there were 79,637 unique clinical diagnosis groups. The most common injury diagnoses were sprains (n = 32,796; 41.2%) followed by contusions (n = 13,529; 17%)., Conclusions: Results can guide the development or improvement of workplace injury prevention strategies for LEOs. Efforts should be focused on better understanding and preventing violent injury events and sprains among LEOs, as well as preventing multiple injury events., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Introduction: First responders, including law enforcement officers (LEOs), firefighters, emergency medical services (EMS) clinicians, and public safety telecommunicators, face unique occupational stressors and may be at elevated risk for suicide. This study characterized suicides among first responders and identifies potential opportunities for additional data collection., Methods: Using suicides identified from the three most recent years of National Violent Death Reporting System data with industry and occupation codes from the NIOSH Industry and Occupation Computerized Coding System (2015-2017), decedents were categorized as first responders or non-first responders based on usual occupation. Chi-square tests were used to evaluate differences in sociodemographic and suicide circumstances between first and non-first responders., Results: First responder decedents made up 1% of all suicides. Over half of first responders (58%) were LEOs, 21% were firefighters, 18% were EMS clinicians, and 2% were public safety telecommunicators. Compared to non-first responder decedents, more first responders served in the military (23% vs. 11%) and used a firearm as the method of injury (69% vs. 44%). Among first responder decedents for whom circumstances were known, intimate partner problems, job problems, and physical health problems were most frequent. Some common risk factors for suicide (history of suicidal thoughts, previous suicide attempt, alcohol/substance abuse problem) were significantly lower among first responders. Selected sociodemographics and characteristics were compared across first responder occupations. Compared to firefighters and EMS clinicians, LEO decedents had slightly lower percentages of depressed mood, mental health problems, history of suicidal thoughts, and history of suicide attempts., Conclusions: While this analysis provides a small glimpse into some of these stressors, more detailed research may help inform future suicide prevention efforts and interventions., Practical Application: Understanding stressors and their relation to suicide and suicidal behaviors can facilitate suicide prevention among this critical workforce., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, public health workers were at an increased risk for violence and harassment due to their public health work and experienced adverse mental health conditions. This article quantifies the prevalence of job-related threats, harassment, and discrimination against public health workers and measures the association of these incidents with mental health symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: A nonprobability convenience sample of state, local, and tribal public health workers completed a self-administered, online survey in April 2021. The survey link was emailed to members of national public health associations and included questions on workplace violence, demographics, workplace factors, and mental health symptoms. Mental health symptoms were measured using standardized, validated tools to assess depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal ideation. Multivariable Poisson models calculated adjusted prevalence ratios of mental health symptoms, with workplace violence as the primary risk factor. Analyses were conducted in 2021-2022., Results: Experiencing any type or combination of workplace violence was significantly associated with an increased likelihood of reporting depression symptoms (prevalence ratio=1.21, 95% CI=1.15, 1.27), anxiety (prevalence ratio=1.21, 95% CI=1.15, 1.27), post-traumatic stress disorder (prevalence ratio=1.31, 95% CI=1.25, 1.37), and suicidal ideation (prevalence ratio=1.26, 95% CI=1.14, 1.38), after adjusting for confounders. A dose‒response relationship was found between the number of workplace violence events experienced by a public health worker and the likelihood of reporting mental health symptoms., Conclusions: Violence targeted at the public health workforce is detrimental to workers and their communities. Ongoing training, workplace support, and increased communication after a workplace violence incident may be helpful. Efforts to strengthen public health capacities and support the public health workforce are also needed., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

As businesses dealt with an increasingly anxious public during the COVID-19 pandemic and were frequently tasked with enforcing various COVID-19 prevention policies such as mask mandates, workplace violence and harassment (WPV) emerged as an increasing important issue affecting worker safety and health. Publicly available media reports were searched for WPV events related to the COVID-19 pandemic that occurred during 1 March 2020, and 31 August 2021, using Google News aggregator services scans with data abstraction and verification. The search found 408 unique WPV events related to COVID-19. Almost two-thirds involved mask disputes. Over half (57%) of the 408 events occurred in retail (38%) and food service (19%). We also conducted a comparison of events identified in this search to a similar study of media reports between March 2020 to October 2020 that used multiple search engines to identify WPV events. Despite similar conclusions, a one-to-one comparison of relevant data from these studies found only modest overlap in the incidents identified, suggesting the need to make improvements to future efforts to extract data from media reports. Prevention resources such as training and education for workers may help industries de-escalate or prevent similar WPV events in the future.

Background: The public safety sector includes law enforcement officers (LEO), corrections officers (CO), firefighter service (FF), wildland firefighting (WFF), and emergency medical services (EMS), as defined in the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Across these occupations, shiftwork, long-duration shifts, and excessive overtime are common. Our objective was to identify research gaps related to working hours, sleep, and fatigue among these workers., Methods: We used a scoping review study design that included searches of MEDLINE, Embase, CAB Abstracts, Global Health, PsychInfo, CINAHL, Scopus, Academic Search Complete, Agricultural and Environmental Science Collection, ProQuest Central, Cochrane Library, Safety Lit, Homeland Security Digital Library, and Sociological Abstracts using a range of occupational search terms and terms related to working hours, sleep, and fatigue., Results: Out of 3415 articles returned from our database search, 202 met all inclusion criteria. Six common outcomes related to working hours, sleep, and fatigue emerged: sleep, fatigue, work performance, injury, psychosocial stress, and chronic disease. Nearly two-thirds (59%, n = 120) of the studies were observational, of which 64% (n = 77) were cross sectional and 9% were (n = 11) longitudinal; 14% (n = 30) of the studies were reviews; and 19% (n = 39) were experimental or quasi-experimental studies. Only 25 of the 202 articles described mitigation strategies or interventions. FFs, LEOs, EMS, and WFFs were the most studied, followed by COs., Conclusions: In general, more longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to enrich the knowledge base on the consequences of long working hours, poor sleep, and fatigue in the public safety sector. Few experimental studies have tested novel approaches to fatigue mitigation in diverse sectors of public safety. This gap in research limits the decisions that may be made by employers to address fatigue as a threat to public-safety worker health and safety., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Introduction: Officers can be unintentionally injured during officer-suspect interactions, and these injuries are often not coded as assaults. This article defines and enumerates injuries that officers sustain while chasing, detaining, arresting, or pursuing suspects. These are termed resistance-related injuries., Methods: Data on law enforcement officer injuries treated in U.S. emergency departments were obtained from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-Occupational Supplement from 2012 to 2017. Resistance-related injuries were defined using the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System, version 2.01. Injury rates were calculated using denominators from the Current Population Survey. Negative binomial regression was used to analyze temporal trends. Data were analyzed in 2019., Results: Between 2012 and 2017, an estimated 303,500 officers were treated in U.S. emergency departments for nonfatal injuries for an overall injury rate of 568 per 10,000 full-time equivalents. Emergency department-treated injuries significantly decreased by 3.8% annually during this time period (p<0.0001). The leading causes of injury were assaults and violent acts (48%), transportation incidents (11%), and falls (11%). Of the total injuries, more than half were resistance-related (53%). A total of 88% of violence-related injuries, nearly 50% of falls, and 31% of overexertion injuries were considered resistance related., Conclusions: More than half of officers' nonfatal injuries occurred when they were interacting, detaining, or pursuing a suspect. This highlights the need to code nonfatal injuries in a consistent and meaningful way that informs police policy and practice., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence, identify risk factors, and assess the impact of nonphysical workplace violence (WPV) events among education workers (teachers, professionals, and support personnel)., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was mailed to a random sample of 6450 education workers, stratified by sex, occupation, and school location in Pennsylvania. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess risk factors., Results: Of the 2514 participants, 859 (34%) reported experiencing at least one nonphysical WPV event during the 2009-2010 school year. Coworkers were the most common source of bullying. Most education workers responded that they did not receive an adequate response from their administration after reporting a nonphysical WPV event. Risks of nonphysical assaults increased for education workers who were female, those working in an urban school, and those in their first 3 years of working in their current school. Those assaulted were significantly likely to have low job satisfaction, find work more stressful, and have poor mental health compared to those were not assaulted., Conclusions: Administration support for specific prevention efforts and post-event responses that address the risk factors for nonphysical WPV are essential for creating a positive, safe work environment in schools., (Published 2020. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.)

Background: The purpose of this analysis was to identify and prioritize high-risk industry groups for traumatic brain injury (TBI) prevention efforts., Methods: Workers with TBI from 2001 to 2011 were identified from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation data. To prioritize industry groups by claim type (lost-time (≥8 days away from work) and total claims) and injury event categories, we used a prevention index (PI) that averaged TBI counts and rate ranks (PI = (count rank + rate rank)/2). TBI rates per 10 000 estimated full-time equivalent (FTE = 2000 h/y) workers were calculated., Results: From 2001 to 2011, 12 891 TBIs were identified among private employers, resulting in a rate of 5.1 TBIs per 10 000 FTEs. Of these, 40% (n = 5171) were lost-time TBIs, at a rate of 2.0 per 10 000 FTEs. Spectator Sports had the highest lost-time TBI rate (13.5 per 10 000 FTEs), whereas General Freight Trucking had the greatest number of lost-time TBIs (n = 293). Based on PIs, General Freight Trucking ranked first for lost-time TBIs for all injury events combined. Several industry groups within Construction, General and Specialized Freight Trucking, Services to Building and Dwellings, Employment Services, and Restaurants and Other Eating Places ranked high across multiple injury event categories for lost-time TBIs., Conclusions: The high-ranking industry groups identified from our study can be used to effectively direct occupational TBI prevention efforts., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Drug overdose fatalities have risen sharply and the impact on US workplaces has not been described. This paper describes US workplace overdose deaths between 2011 and 2016. Drug overdose deaths were identified from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries and fatality rates calculated using denominators from the Current Population Survey. Fatality rates were compared among demographic groups and industries. Negative binomial regression was used to analyse trends. Between 2011 and 2016, 760 workplace drug overdoses occurred for a fatality rate of 0.9 per 1 000 000 full-time equivalents (FTEs). Workplace overdose fatality rates significantly increased 24% annually. Workplace overdose fatality rates were highest in transportation and mining industries (3.0 and 2.6 per 1 000 000 FTEs, respectively). One-third of workplace overdose fatalities occurred in workplaces with fewer than 10 employees. Heroin was the single most frequent drug documented in workplace overdose deaths (17%). Workplace overdose deaths were low, but increased considerably over the six-year period. Workplaces are impacted by the national opioid overdose epidemic., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) remain a leading cause of death for US law enforcement officers. One large agency implemented a crash prevention program with standard operating policy changes, increased training, and a marketing campaign. This was a scientific evaluation of that crash prevention program., Methods: MVC and motor vehicle injury (MVI) data for law enforcement officers were compared using an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model. Two law enforcement agencies who had not implemented a crash prevention program were controls., Results: After program implementation, overall, MVC rates significantly decreased 14% from 2.2 MVCs per 100 000 miles driven to 1.9 (P = .008). MVC rates did not decrease in the control agencies. Overall, MVI rates significantly decreased 31% from 3.4 per 100 officers to 2.1 (P = .0002). MVC rates did not decrease in the control agencies. MVC rates for patrol officers significantly decreased 21% from 3.1 per 100 000 miles to 2.4. MVI rates for patrol officers significantly decreased 48% from 3.2 per 100 officers to 1.6 (P < .0001)., Conclusions: Crash and injury rates can be reduced after implementation of a crash prevention program and the largest impacts were seen in patrol officers., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

During 2000-2016, the suicide rate among the U.S. working age population (persons aged 16-64 years) increased 34%, from 12.9 per 100,000 population to 17.3 (https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars). To better understand suicide among different occupational groups and inform suicide prevention efforts, CDC analyzed suicide deaths by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) major groups for decedents aged 16-64 years from the 17 states participating in both the 2012 and 2015 National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) (https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/nvdrs). The occupational group with the highest male suicide rate in 2012 and 2015 was Construction and Extraction (43.6 and 53.2 per 100,000 civilian noninstitutionalized working persons, respectively), whereas the group with the highest female suicide rate was Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media (11.7 [2012] and 15.6 [2015]). The largest suicide rate increase among males from 2012 to 2015 (47%) occurred in the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media occupational group (26.9 to 39.7) and among females, in the Food Preparation and Serving Related group, from 6.1 to 9.4 (54%). CDC's technical package of strategies to prevent suicide is a resource for communities, including workplace settings (1)., Competing Interests: All authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE form for disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.

Introduction: Several studies of nonfatal firefighter injuries have been conducted but are limited by the inclusion criteria used and coverage. The aim of this study was to enhance current knowledge by providing national estimates of nonfatal injuries to firefighters treated in U.S. emergency departments., Methods: Nonfatal injuries from 2003 through 2014 were extracted from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System occupational supplement (NEISS-Work). NEISS-Work captures nonfatal occupational injuries, illnesses, and exposures treated in a sample of U.S. emergency departments. Nonfatal injury rates were calculated based on NEISS-Work counts (numerator) and counts from the National Fire Protection Association (denominator). Data were analyzed from 2016 through 2017., Results: Between 2003 and 2014, an estimated 351,800 firefighters were treated in emergency departments for nonfatal injuries. The overall rate was 260 injuries per 10,000 firefighters. Career firefighters had an annual rate of 699 injuries per 10,000 firefighters; volunteers had a rate of 39 injuries per 10,000 firefighters. Leading injury events were fires and explosions (36%) and overexertion and bodily reactions (20%). A majority (38%) of injuries occurred during firefighting activities, 7% occurred during training, and 7% occurred during patient care. Sprains and strains accounted for the largest proportion of injuries in all three of these activities: 28% firefighting activities, 32% training, and 36% patient care., Conclusions: The results demonstrate that nonfatal injuries for firefighters remained high throughout the study period. The predominance of sprains and strains in all firefighting activities suggests the need for additional research and prevention needs in areas of improved fitness, safer body postures and movements, and situational awareness., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Introduction: Limited studies exist that describe nonfatal work-related injuries to law enforcement officers. The aim of this study is to provide national estimates and trends of nonfatal injuries to law enforcement officers from 2003 through 2014., Methods: Nonfatal injuries were obtained from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-Occupational Supplement. Data were obtained for injuries treated in U.S. emergency departments from 2003 to 2014. Nonfatal injury rates were calculated using denominators from the Current Population Survey. Negative binomial regression was used to analyze temporal trends. Data were analyzed in 2016-2017., Results: Between 2003 and 2014, an estimated 669,100 law enforcement officers were treated in U.S. emergency departments for nonfatal injuries. The overall rate of 635 per 10,000 full-time equivalents was three times higher than all other U.S. workers rate (213 per 10,000 full-time equivalents). The three leading injury events were assaults and violent acts (35%), bodily reactions and exertion (15%), and transportation incidents (14%). Injury rates were highest for the youngest officers, aged 21-24 years. Male and female law enforcement officers had similar nonfatal injury rates. Rates for most injuries remained stable; however, rates for assault-related injuries grew among law enforcement officers between 2003 and 2011., Conclusions: National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-Occupational Supplement data demonstrate a significant upward trend in assault injuries among U.S. law enforcement officers and this warrants further investigation. Police-citizen interactions are dynamic social encounters and evidence-based policing is vital to the health and safety of both police and civilians. The law enforcement community should energize efforts toward the study of how policing tactics impact both officer and citizen injuries., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Research on fatal work-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) is limited. This study describes fatal TBIs in the US construction industry., Methods: Fatal TBIs were extracted from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries., Results: From 2003 to 2010, 2,210 fatal TBIs occurred in construction at a rate of 2.6 per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers. Workers aged 65 years and older had the highest fatal TBI rates among all workers (7.9 per 100,000 FTE workers). Falls were the most frequent injury event (n = 1,269, 57%). Structural iron and steel workers and roofers had the highest fatal TBI rate per 100,000 FTE workers (13.7 and 11.2, respectively). Fall-related TBIs were the leading cause of death in these occupations., Conclusions: A large percentage of TBIs in the construction industry were due to falls. Emphasis on safety interventions is needed to reduce these fall-related TBIs, especially among vulnerable workers., (Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.)

Introduction: Suicide rates have risen considerably in recent years. National workplace suicide trends have not been well documented. The aim of this study is to describe suicides occurring in U.S. workplaces and compare them to suicides occurring outside of the workplace between 2003 and 2010., Methods: Suicide data originated from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injury database and the Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System. Suicide rates were calculated using denominators from the 2013 Current Population Survey and 2000 U.S. population census. Suicide rates were compared among demographic groups with rate ratios and 95% CIs. Suicide rates were calculated and compared among occupations. Linear regression, adjusting for serial correlation, was used to analyze temporal trends. Analyses were conducted in 2013-2014., Results: Between 2003 and 2010, a total of 1,719 people died by suicide in the workplace. Workplace suicide rates generally decreased until 2007 and then sharply increased (p=0.035). This is in contrast with non-workplace suicides, which increased over the study period (p=0.025). Workplace suicide rates were highest for men (2.7 per 1,000,000); workers aged 65-74 years (2.4 per 1,000,000); those in protective service occupations (5.3 per 1,000,000); and those in farming, fishing, and forestry (5.1 per 1,000,000)., Conclusions: The upward trend of suicides in the workplace underscores the need for additional research to understand occupation-specific risk factors and develop evidence-based programs that can be implemented in the workplace., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Purpose: Little is known about work-related traumatic brain injuries (WRTBI). This study describes non-fatal WRTBIs treated in US emergency departments (ED) from 1998 through 2007., Methods: Non-fatal WRTBIs were identified from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System occupational supplement (NEISS-Work) using the diagnoses of concussion, internal organ injury to the head and skull fracture. WRTBI rates and rate ratios were calculated, and the trend in rates was assessed., Results: An estimated 586,600 (95% CI=±150,000) WRTBIs were reported during the 10-year period at a rate of 4.3 (CI=±1.1) per 10,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers (1 FTE=2000 h per year). From 1998 through 2007, the rate of WRTBIs increased at an average of 0.21 per 10,000 FTE per year (p<0.0001) and the rate of fall-related WRTBIs increased at an average of 0.10 per 10,000 FTE (p<0.0001). During the same period, the annual rate of WRTBIs resulting in hospitalisation increased 0.04 per 10,000 FTE (p<0.0001). Ten percent of WRTBIs were hospitalised, compared with hospitalisation of 2% all NEISS-Work injuries. Also, workers with highest fall-related TBI rates per 10,000 FTE were the youngest (2.4; CI=±1.4) and oldest (55 and older) workers (1.9; CI=±0.8)., Conclusions: Non-fatal WRTBIs are one of the most serious workplace injuries among ED-treated work-related injuries. Non-fatal WRTBIs are much more likely to result in hospitalisation compared with other types of injuries. The upward trend of WRTBI rates from 1998 through 2007 underscore the need for more directed effective prevention methods to reduce WRTBI injuries., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.)

The IACP Research Advisory Committee is proud to offer the monthly Research in Brief column. This column features evidence-based research summaries that highlight actionable recommendations for Police Chief magazine readers to consider within their own agencies. The goal of the column is to feature research that is innovative, credible, and relevant to a diverse law enforcement audience.

Purpose: Motor-vehicle-related events (MVEs) are the leading cause of on-duty death for law enforcement officers, yet little is known about how officers view this significant job hazard. The purpose of this paper is to explore officers' motor-vehicle risk perception and examine how prior on-duty MVEs and the death or injury of a fellow officer influences this perception., Design/methodology/approach: A state-wide random sample of 136 law enforcement agencies was drawn using publically accessible databases, stratified on type and size of agency. In total, 60 agencies agreed to participate and a cross-sectional questionnaire was distributed to 1,466 officers. Using six-point Likert scales, composite scores for motor-vehicle and intentional violence risk perception were derived. A linear regression multivariable model was used to examine factors affecting motor-vehicle risk perception., Findings: Motor-vehicle risk perception scores were significantly higher than intentional violence scores. A prior on-duty motor-vehicle crash, prior roadside incident, or knowledge of fellow officer's injury or death from a MVE significantly increased motor-vehicle risk perception scores. After controlling for potential confounders though, only prior on-duty crashes and roadside incidents impacted motor-vehicle risk perception., Research Limitations/implications: The study comprised primarily small, rural agencies and generalizability may be limited. Also, although the data were collected anonymously, reporting and response biases may affect these findings., Originality/value: This study involved a large and diverse cohort of officers and explored motor-vehicle risk perception. A better understanding of officers' risk perceptions will assist in the development and implementation of occupational injury prevention programs, training, and policy.

Objective: Enumerate and describe physical assaults occurring to Pennsylvania education workers., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was mailed to a random sample of 6450 workers, stratified on gender, occupation, and region. Logistic regression was used to examine risk factors for physical assault., Results: During the 2009-2010 school year, 309 of 2514 workers were assaulted 597 times. Special education teachers, urban workers, and those in their first 3 years of employment were at an increased risk. Most assaults did not lead to medical care or time away from work; however, those assaulted were significantly more likely to find work stressful, have low job satisfaction, and consider leaving the education field (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=2.5 [95% CI=1.5 to 4.1]; AOR=2.4 [95% CI=1.5 to 3.9]; AOR=10.7 [95% CI=4.1 to 28.1])., Conclusions: Although education workers experienced few serious physical assaults, the impact of this violence was considerable.

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine non-robbery-related occupational homicides in the retail industry from 2003 to 2008., Methods: Data were abstracted from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Motive (robbery- or non-robbery-related) and workplace violence (WPV) typology (Type I-IV) were assigned using narrative text fields. Non-robbery-related homicide rates were calculated and compared among WPV types, demographic characteristics, and occupation., Results: Twenty-eight percent of homicides that occurred in the retail industry were non-robbery-related. The leading event associated with non-robbery-related homicides was Type II (perpetrated by customers) (34%), followed by Type IV (perpetrated by personal relationship) (31%). The majority of homicides were due to arguments (50%). Security guards and workers in drinking establishments had the highest homicide rates per 100,000 workers (14.3 and 6.0, respectively)., Conclusions: Non-robbery-related homicides comprised a meaningful proportion of workplace homicides in the retail industry. Research is needed to develop strategies to prevent non-robbery-related homicides specifically., (© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: This study describes and compares the three surveillance systems used to record occupational injury fatalities among U.S. law enforcement officers (LEOs)., Methods: The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund database (NLEOMF), and Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted reports (LEOKA) were examined for LEO deaths between 2003 and 2009. Fatality rates per 100,000 workers were calculated and compared., Results: Between 2003 and 2009, the NLEOMF reported 1,050 fatalities (rate of 16.4 per 100,000 workers), the CFOI reported 968 fatalities (15.1 per 100,000), and the LEOKA recorded 853 fatalities (13.3 per 100,000). The LEOKA under-counted the number of fatalities compared to the NLEOMF and CFOI. Discrepancies were found between the LEOKA, NLEOMF, and CFOI regarding age, race, and Hispanic origin. Similar patterns for cause of fatality were found; however, the NLEOMF recorded a higher number of "other" fatalities compared to the other two systems., Conclusions: This study fills a critical knowledge gap by providing an overview of the three surveillance systems used to enumerate LEO occupational deaths. Understanding the differences across the systems is critical when utilizing them for surveillance research., (Published in 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.)

The objective of this research was to describe the slip, trip, and fall injury experience and trends in a population of nursing home workers, identify risk factors for slip, trip, and fall injuries, and develop prevention strategies for slip, trip, and fall hazards. Workers' compensation injury claims data and payroll data from 1996 through 2003 were obtained from six nursing homes and used to calculate injury incidence rates. Narrative information was used to describe details of slip, trip, and fall events. A total of 86 slip, trip, and fall-related workers' compensation claims were filed during the 8-year period. Slip, trip, and fall claim rates showed a nonsignificant increase during the 8-year period. Most slips, trips, and falls were attributed to hazards that can be mitigated (e.g., water on the floor or loose cords in a walkway). Nursing home workers experience more slip, trip, and fall-related injury claims than workers in other industries. Preventive programs should be implemented and evaluated in this industry., (Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.)

Background: Migrant farmworkers are at risk for heat-related illness (HRI) at work., Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine which risk factors could potentially reduce the prevalence of HRI symptoms among migrant farmworkers in Georgia., Methods: Trained interviewers conducted in-person interviews of adults who attended the South Georgia Farmworker Health Project clinics in June 2011. The analysis was conducted in 2011-2012. Population intervention models were used to assess where the greatest potential impact could be made to reduce the prevalence of HRI symptoms., Results: In total, 405 farmworkers participated. One third of participants had experienced three or more HRI symptoms in the preceding week. Migrant farmworkers faced barriers to preventing HRI at work, including lack of prevention training (77%) and no access to regular breaks (34%); shade (27%); or medical attention (26%). The models showed that the prevalence of three or more HRI symptoms (n=361, 34.3%) potentially could be reduced by increasing breaks in the shade (-9.2%); increasing access to medical attention (-7.3%); reducing soda intake (-6.7%); or increasing access to regular breaks (-6.0%)., Conclusions: Migrant farmworkers experienced high levels of HRI symptoms and faced substantial barriers to preventing these symptoms. Although data are cross-sectional, results suggest that heat-related illness may be reduced through appropriate training of workers on HRI prevention, as well as regular breaks in shaded areas., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: This study describes fatal and nonfatal occupational injuries among U.S. correctional officers., Methods: Fatal injuries were obtained from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries; nonfatal injuries were identified from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System- Occupational Supplement., Results: From 1999-2008, there were 113 fatalities and an estimated 125,200 (CI=±70,100) nonfatal injuries were treated in emergency departments. Assaults and violent acts (n=45, 40%) and transportation related fatalities (n=45, 40%) were the two primary fatal injury events. Assaults and violent acts (n=47,500 (CI=±24,500), 38%) and bodily reaction and exertion (n=25,400 (CI=±16,800), 20%) were the leading events resulting in nonfatal injuries., Conclusions: While workplace violence is the primary cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries among correctional officers, transportation events and bodily reactions are also leading causes of occupational injury. Future research is needed to identify risk factors unique to these events and develop appropriate prevention and intervention efforts., Impact on Industry: This study adds to the literature on occupational injuries among correctional officers and provides a national level description of fatal and nonfatal injuries across a 10-year period. Given that assaults and violent acts, transportation events, and bodily reaction and exertion were significant injury events, future research should describe detailed injury circumstances and risk factors for correctional officers unique to these events. This would allow appropriate prevention and control efforts to be developed to reduce injuries from these events., (Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Purpose: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an important public health issue with serious consequences for the workplace. Workplace homicides occurring to U.S. women over a 6-year period, including those perpetrated by an intimate partner, are described., Methods: Workplace homicides among U.S. women from 2003 to 2008 were categorized into type I (criminal intent), type II (customer/client), type III (co-worker), or type IV (personal relations) events using the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Fatality rates were calculated and compared among workplace violence (WPV) types, occupations, and characteristics including location of homicide, type of workplace, time of day, and weapon used., Results: Between 2003 and 2008, 648 women were feloniously killed on the job. The leading cause of workplace homicide for U.S. women was criminal intent, such as robbing a store (n = 212; 39%), followed by homicides perpetrated by a personal relation (n = 181; 33%). The majority of these personal relations were intimate partners (n = 142; 78%). Over half of workplace homicides perpetrated by intimate partners occurred in parking lots and public buildings (n = 91; 51%)., Conclusions: A large percentage of homicides occurring to women at work are perpetrated by intimate partners. WPV prevention programs should incorporate strategies to prevent and respond to IPV., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: Provide descriptive statistics and discuss priorities for injury and fatality risks among services sector workers., Methods: Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses and Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries data for 2003 to 2007 were analyzed to identify occupational injury and fatality risks for services sector industry groups., Results: Many services sector industry groups experienced, on average, greater than one occupational fatality per week, and survey of occupational injuries and illnesses days-away-from-work rates in excess of those for all US workers. Overall, transportation incidents and homicides are leading factors contributing to fatalities., Conclusions: These results indicate the need for adoption of safety and health prevention practices in numerous industry groups. For groups that experience elevated injury and fatality rates, priorities for research and intervention can be identified through these data.

Background: Although traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S., work-related TBI has not been well documented., Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiologic characteristics and temporal trends of fatal occupational TBI in the U.S between 2003 and 2008., Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of the Census of Fatal Occupational Injury database was performed. Both the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System nature of injury codes and body part codes were used to define TBIs. Fatality rates were calculated using denominators derived from the Current Population Survey. Fatality rates were compared among industries, cause of death, and demographics with rate ratios (RRs) and 95% CIs. Poisson regression was used to assess trends in fatality rates. Data were analyzed in 2009-2010., Results: Nearly 7300 occupational TBI deaths occurred between 2003 and 2008, for an average fatality rate of 0.8 per 100,000 workers per year. The leading causes of occupational TBI death were as follows: motor vehicle (31%); falls (29%); assaults and violent acts (20%); and contact with objects/equipment (18%). Fatality rates were 15 times higher in men compared with women (RR=15, 95% CI=13.7, 16.3). Workers aged ≥65 years experienced the highest TBI fatality rate of all age groups (2.5 per 100,000 per year). Construction, transportation, and agriculture/forestry/fishing industries recorded nearly half of all TBI fatalities (n=1828, n=825, n=761, respectively). Occupational TBI death rates declined 23% over the 6-year period (p<0.0001)., Conclusions: This study provides the first national profile of fatal TBIs occurring in the U.S. workplace. Prevention efforts should be directed at those industries with the highest frequency and/or highest risk. The construction industry had the highest number of TBIs, and the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industry had the highest rates. Additionally, workers aged >65 years in all industries would be a good target for future prevention efforts., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Occupational injury deaths remain high for Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs). This study describes and compares intentional and transportation-related fatality rates in US LEOs between 1992 and 2002., Methods: Workplace injury deaths among LEOs from 1992 to 2002 were categorized into "Intentional," "Transportation-related," and "Other," using the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Occupations included in this analysis were sheriffs and bailiffs, police and detectives, non-public service guards, and correctional officers. Fatality rates were compared among law enforcement occupations, cause of death, and demographics with rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals., Results: During the 11-year period, 2,280 workers died from an occupational injury, for a fatality rate of 11.8 per 100,000 across all LEO occupations. Forty-seven percent were homicides (n = 1,072, rate 5.6 per 100,000), 36% transportation-related (n = 815, rate 4.2 per 100,000), 11% were due to other causes (n = 249, rate 1.3 per 100,000), and 5% were workplace suicides (n = 122, rate 0.6 per 100,000). The proportion of fatalities by cause of death differed significantly between occupations (P < 0.0001). Sheriffs and bailiffs experience a high risk for occupational injury death compared to other law enforcement occupations. Of the transportation-related fatalities, LEOs were operating a motor-vehicle in 58% of the incidents and 22% of the fatalities were struck by incidents., Conclusions: Transportation-related deaths were nearly as common as homicides as a cause of occupational injury death among US LEOs. Struck by vehicle incidents remain an important and overlooked cause of death. This research points to opportunities for the prevention of transportation-related deaths in law enforcement., ((c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Background: The differences in occupational and non-occupational injuries between military men and women have not been documented. This study compares occupational and non-occupational injuries between male and female United States Army soldiers by examining injury hospitalization rates and characteristics., Methods: The U.S. Army's Total Army Injury and Health Outcomes Database was searched for hospitalizations with ICD-9-CM codes for injury (800-959.9) between 1992 and 2002. Injury rates were calculated using yearly U.S. Army population data and compared using rate ratios. Injury characteristics were compared among categories of the Trauma Code (on duty; off duty; scheduled training, schemes, and exercises), stratified by gender., Results: Included in this analysis were 792 women for an injury hospitalization rate of 11.0 per 1000 individuals (95% confidence interval [CI]=8.5-13.5) and 4879 men for a rate of 15.5 per 1000 individuals (95% CI=14.0-16.9). While women had significantly more injuries during scheduled training, schemes, and exercises than men (p<0.0001), there were few differences in the cause of those injuries. Women had longer average hospital stays compared to men due to these injuries (9.3 days vs 7.4 days, p=0.002), although these injuries were not more severe (average Injury Severity Score=3.5 for men vs average ISS for women=3.5, p=0.79). There was no difference between the genders in the percent of injuries that occurred off duty; however, men were more likely to get injured due to sports and athletics (p=0.001) and due to fighting (p=0.017) while off duty compared to women., Conclusions: Injury prevention messages for military personnel should focus on reducing risk factors for both on- and off-duty injuries.

Objective: The authors used data from a population based prospective cohort study to determine if depressive symptoms predicted incidence of unintentional injury., Methods: The Keokuk County Rural Health Study, based in Iowa, is a prospective cohort study of health status that includes injury outcomes. Depressive symptoms were measured using the 11-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale at the beginning of the study on 1493 participants. Quarterly follow up phone calls were made to measure injury incidence., Results: 471 injuries were reported for an overall injury rate of 9.8 per 100 person-years. Crude injury rates were significantly higher for those with depressive symptoms (p = 0.0003). Those with depressive symptoms had a 41% increased risk for injury after controlling for antidepressant medication use, gender, prior injury, income, and sleepiness (RR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.80). Depressive symptoms remained a risk factor for injury regardless of current antidepressant medication use (no medication use, RR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.88; medication use, RR = 1.31, 95% CI 0.76 to 2.26)., Conclusions: Depressive symptoms were found to be risk factors for unintentional injury. Medical practitioners should consider talking about safety with their patients, especially those reporting symptoms of depression, and recognize that an increased risk for injury remains until the depressive symptoms subside.