Journal of Occupational

Background: Injuries and accidents are one of the main problems in the present century. The purpose of this study was the identification and analysis of the characteristics of pre-hospital emergency motor vehicle accidents (MVA) in Rafsanjan, Iran, in 2014.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed on all patients recorded by pre-hospital emergency during a period of one year (from 21 March 2013 to 20 March 2014). Our data were obtained from a crash record book kept at pre-hospital emergency dispatch. The crash database variables include age and gender of victims, vehicle type, type of collision, response time, location, and crash hotspots, and severity of injury. Accident data have been analyzed in SPSS software.

Results: In 2014, 1878 injured patients were transported to the general hospital by pre-hospital emergency dispatch. The mean age of victims was 29.10 ± 15.65 years, with the age range of 1-95 years. Among these cases, 85.8% were men and 14.2% were women. The majority of the patients (56.7%) were in the age range of 15-29 years, 30-44 years (20.6%), and 46-65 years (10.8%), respectively. Motorcycle accidents were the major cause of injuries (48.6%), and 4 patients (0.2% of all cases) died on the accident scene.

Conclusions: In the present study, motorcycle accidents constitute the majority of cases of MVAs. Therefore, safety training targeted at motorcyclists would be one of the best interventions for the prevention and controlling of trauma due to MVAs. This intervention could be the most efficient among younger drivers.

Background: A road traffic accident is an incident on a way or street open to public traffic, resulting in one or more persons being killed or injured, and involving at least one moving vehicle. The purpose of this study was to present the prevalence and factors associated with road traffic accident in Chuko town , Southern Ethiopia
Materials and Method: Community based cross sectional study was done in Chuko Town with a total sample size of 422 from March 27 to April 4, 2009 E.C Questionnaire consists of demographic characteristics like age, occupation, level of education and cause of RTA. The study employed chi-square analysis. Data from qualitative was analyzed manually then triangulated with the quantitative one. The result is presented using descriptive statistics using tables and graphs.
Result: A total of 422 respondents participated in our study with 100% respondent rate. Among the participants, 99(23.5%) of them had previous history of RTA. Concerning the causes of RTA, 141(33.4%) majority of them were caused by poor road condition followed by 119(28.2%) by over speed. The results from FGDs and interviews showed that the Town has traffic flow and motor bikes were most common causes of the accident.
Conclusion: The study found out that RTA is big problem of the Town The most common cause of RTA is poor road condition and Motor Bikes are most commonly involved in the accident.
 

Background: Uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes in truckers can negatively affect their work performance. This paper analyses the first-year data of an eye care program for truckers to assess their need for hypertension and diabetes screening.
Materials and Method: In this cross-sectional study, data were collected via eye camps for truckers held between July 2017 and June 2018. Truckers who consented to have their blood pressure and glucose examined were included. Variables analysed included basic age profiles of the drivers attending the camps, the proportion of the truckers suffering from hypertension, the proportion with previously undetected hypertension, proportion of hypertensive drivers taking treatment and the proportion of the truckers with suspected diabetes. Z-test and Chi-square test were used for data analysis.
Results: During the study period, 4,059 truckers attended camps, of whom 86.13% underwent hypertension screening. Out of those screened, 865 (24.7%, 95% CI: 23.31-26.17%) were diagnosed with hypertension. The mean age of the hypertensive drivers was higher than that of those with normal blood pressure (p < 0.001) and susceptibility to hypertension was found to increase with age. Among 816 drivers with hypertension who responded to questions about hypertension history, only 49.1% reported to have undergone blood pressure examinations earlier, while only 25.4% had received the treatment prescribed. The prevalence of high blood glucose was found to be 4% in the 3,433 drivers tested, which had an increasing trend with aging.
Conclusions: There is an urgent need for formulating policies on hypertension screening and launching awareness campaigns in this mobile population.