Injury analysis of teachers’ occupational accidents.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Occupational accidents among teachers are a cause of concern because of their consequences regarding several parts of the body, such as the neck, back, or extremities; however, the number of studies on this issue is limited. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the possible effects of different variables (gender, age, nationality, experience, sector, day of the week, traffic accidents) associated with occupational injuries suffered by teachers. METHODS: All teachers’ accidents recorded in Spain (136,702) from 2003 to 2018 were analyzed. Odds ratios with a 95% confidence interval were calculated. RESULTS: For injured female workers, being younger than 45, in her first month of experience, in a public school, without risk assessment, and in a traffic accident are the most important factors related to suffering a neck injury. In the case of injured male workers, to be older than 45, in a private school, and no traffic accidents are the factors detected influence suffering an injury in lower extremities. CONCLUSIONS: Institutions and schools should pay special attention to the highest-risk profiles. Results obtained can be a very useful tool for the design and implementation of specific occupational health and safety strategies adapted to the more vulnerable workers in each kind of injury.