Saf Health Work.  2013 Sep;4(3):160-165.

Descriptive Study of Occupational Accidents and their Causes among Electricity Distribution Company Workers at an Eight-year Period in Iran

• Rahmani A
• Khadem M
• Madreseh E
• Aghaei HA
• Raei M
• Karchani M

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Occupational accidents are unplanned events that cause damage. The socio-economic impacts and human costs of accidents are tremendous around the world. Many fatalities happen every year in workplaces such as electricity distribution companies. Some electrical injuries are electrocution, electric shock, and burns. This study was conducted in an electricity distribution company (with rotational 12-hour shift work) in Iran during an 8-year period to survey descriptive factors of injuries.
METHODS
Variables collected included accident time, age of injured worker, employment type, work experience, injury cause, educational background, and other information about accidents.
RESULTS
Results indicated that most of the accidents occurred in summer, and 51.3% were during shift work. Worker negligence (malpractice) was the cause of 75% of deaths. Type of employment had a significant relationship with type of injuries (p < 0.05). Most injuries were electrical burns.
CONCLUSION
High rate of accidents in summer may be due to the warm weather or insufficient professional skills in seasonal workers. Shift workers are at risk of sleep complaints leading to a high rate of work injuries. Acquiring knowledge about safety was related to job experiences. Temporary workers have no chance to work all year like permanent workers, therefore impressive experiences may be less in them. Because the lack of protective equipment and negligence are main causes of accidents, periodical inspections in workshops are necessary.

Keyword

electric burns; malpractice; occupational injuries

MeSH Terms

Accidents, Occupational*
Burns
Burns, Electric
Education
Electricity*
Employment
Humans
Iran*
Malpractice
Occupational Injuries
Seasons
Shock
Weather