Psychosocial work characteristics as risk factors for being injured in an occupational accident

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between psychosocial work characteristics and the risk for being injured in an occupational accident. We performed this study within the framework of the Maastricht Cohort Study of Fatigue at Work, a prospective cohort study on employees (n = 7051) from a wide range of companies and organizations. One hundred eight workers reported being injured in an occupational accident for which the subject consulted a physician or physiotherapist. Adjustments were made for work environment and demographic variables. High psychologic job demands were a risk factor for being injured in an occupational accident. Low decision latitude had a crude relative risk for being injured in an occupational accident of 2.02 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.23-3.39). This relationship almost completely disappeared after adjustment for the confounders mentioned here. Coworker and supervisor support were inversely related to the risk of being injured in an occupational accident but did not reach statistical significance. Other psychosocial work characteristics that had a significant effect on the risk for being injured in an occupational accident were conflicts with the supervisor (relative risk [RR] = 2.49; 95% CI = 1.42-4.37) or colleagues (RR = 2.62; 95% CI = 1.58-4.35), job satisfaction (RR = 1.43; 95% CI = 1.08-1.91), and high emotional demands (RR = 2.45; 95% CI = 1.52-3.94). We conclude that after adjustment for demographic variables, fatigue, and factors that describe the type of work environment that high psychologic job demands, emotional demands, and conflicts with the supervisor and/or colleagues are risk factors for being injured in an occupational accident.