Industrial workers with occupational hand injury from Tehran factories

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was evaluation of occupational and non-occupational risk factors in workers with occupational hand injury. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-two workers with occupational hand injury as cases and 83 controls matched for age, gender and also occupation, were included in the study. Controls were chosen randomly from the same factories and the same jobs but they did not have occupational hand injury. METHODS: The study utilized a case control design for analysis. Working circumstances were assessed using a detailed occupational questionnaire as well as non-occupational factors. The questionnaire was completed for both cases and controls. Multivariate logistic regression modeling was used to test the association between occupational and non-occupational factors and hand injury. RESULTS: Risk factors for occupational hand injury were: rotational shift work, working in the early hours in the morning, working alone; and protective factors were: availability of safety equipment or having the equipment equipped with safety tools, safety education and using safety equipment. Adjusted for confounding factors, protective factors were: availability of safety equipment or having the equipment equipped with safety tools and the risk factor was working alone. CONCLUSION: Some occupational factors are protective and some increase risk for occupational hand injury. By modifying these factors we may decrease the prevalence of occupational hand injuries.