247481 Cut-Laceration Injuries and Related Career Groups in New Jersey Career and Technical Education

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Samina Mizan, MBBS, MPH , Center for School and Community-Based Research and Education, UMDNJ-School of Public Health, New Brunswick, NJ
Elizabeth G. Marshall, PhD , Epidemiology, UMDNJ-School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ
Derek G. Shendell, DEnv, MPH , Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, UMDNJ-School of Public Health (and, EOHSI), Piscataway, NJ
Jennifer K. Campbell, MPH, CHES , Center for School and Community-Based Research and Education, UMDNJ-School of Public Health, New Brunswick, NJ
Sarah W. Kelly, MPH , Center for School and Community-Based Research and Education, UMDNJ-School of Public Health, New Brunswick, NJ
We identified factors leading to cut and/or laceration injuries among adolescent students in New Jersey (NJ) career and technical education courses. Of 1772 injury incidents reported by NJ public secondary schools 12/1/1998-9/10/2010, 777 (44%) were cuts and lacerations; we focused on 224 reported since fall 2005. We focused on three major career groups-- Food, Hospitality & Tourism (FH&T) (n=71), Manufacturing & Construction (M&C) (n=84), Automotive & Transportation (A&T) (n=27); final sample size was 182.

The most common cause (n=93, 51%) of cuts and lacerations was being “struck by” a tool or hard surface; 68 were caused by knives (n=62 in FH&T). Metal cutting tools caused most cuts and lacerations (n=83). In M&C, most cuts and lacerations were caused by hand-held tools (n=18), especially saws, and being “struck against/by” or “caught between hard surfaces” (pinch points) (n=19), particularly metal objects and equipment. In A&T, contact with machinery was most common (n=9). Overall, males had more cuts and lacerations (n=176) than females (n=48). Cuts and lacerations occurred most commonly among 11th graders (n=54) and 16-17 year-olds (n=79). Fingers were body part (n=131) most often injured, usually by cutting tools (n=80), and most frequently a knife (n=66 of 80) in FH&T (n=59 of 66). The second most frequent body area injured was upper extremity.

Further appropriate training, supervision, and equipment are needed to prevent cuts caused by knives in FH&T. Proper training on hand held tools and further assessment of struck by and pinch point hazards may prevent injuries in M&C and A&T.

Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Epidemiology
Occupational health and safety
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to identify and describe: 1.) Concerns for youth workers who are training in school and workplace microenvironments. 2.) Concepts in risk assessment relevant to a specific susceptible, vulnerable population sub-group; and, 3.) Factors affecting potential physical exposures and adverse acute effects among youth workers.

Keywords: Youth at Work, Occupational Surveillance

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Dr. Derek G. Shendell, D.Env, MPH, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the School of Public Health at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). He is also on the graduate faculty of Rutgers University and a member of the Exposure Science Division of the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI). EOSHI is a joint institute of the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers University. He works to “bridge” science, education and policy in a multidisciplinary fashion to reduce and/or prevent environmental exposures and health effects. He focuses on community/schools-based research with local participation in planning and execution; educational trainings and materials, service and technical assistance; and, informed/evidence-based policy advocacy. His research and professional publications have focused on: school environments, including portable versus traditional, site-built school classrooms and facilities; indoor air and environmental quality in homes and office buildings; urban outdoor air quality and environment characterization, including relationships between indoor, outdoor, personal (adult, child) and in-vehicle air concentrations of fine particles and various toxic air contaminants; ventilation and energy efficiency, and linkages to student attendance; and, asthma among children and older adults. At UMDNJ School of Public Health, he is an Assistant Professor and Director of the NJ Safe Schools Program (http://www.njsafeschools.org), which includes injury surveillance, science-to-policy, communications, and many types of training for teachers and administrative professionals in secondary education (public and private) concerning safety and health. He is also the co-Director of the Center for School and Community-Based Research and Education at UMDNJ. His other prior work experience included being: • Senior Research Associate at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (11/2000-3/2004); • The California Endowment funded “Community Action to Fight Asthma Initiative’s” (8/2002-12/2005; CAFA-I) Statewide Director of Environmental Health Sciences and Education Projects (2/2004-12/2005) and the Interim Executive Director (10/2004-6/2005). In addition, he was the main technical and administrative advisor to the eight asthma coalitions in the Central California region and an interdisciplinary health policy research fellow with Fresno State University (2-12/2005). • Assistant Professor and founding faculty member of a newly accredited MPH program at the Institute of Public Health at Georgia State University (GSU) in Atlanta, GA. At GSU, he was also affiliated faculty with two programs (Non-profit Studies, Environmental Policy Studies) at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. • Finally, he attended and completed the American Lung Association’s Asthma Educator Institute in June, 2007.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Poster Session: Young worker health and safety and other OHS topics
See more of: Occupational Health and Safety