[The influence of preventive programs on laboral injuries]

To evaluate the impact of preventive programs at enterprises affiliated to the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) during 2004.

Transversal study in 987 enterprises.

labor injuries (LI) of temporal disability, permanent disability and death.

simple and relative frequencies, rates and Anova application to differences.

64.4% of the enterprises decrease LI (p < 0.04), with a decrement of 2602 LI (16%); the rate of LI per 100 workers declined from 4.19 to 3.60 (p < 0.08), with a decrease of 43,369 disability days (10.93%), which represents $8,456,955 MXP. States with larger decreases were: Queretaro (80%) p < 0.05; Sinaloa (63%) p < 0.05, and Morelos (61%) p < 0.05. Permanent incapacities diminished at 12.1%, p < 0.09; the rate of permanent disability per 1000 workers diminished from 1.37 to 1.32 and death cases increased from 42 to 49.

the expenses on consultancy by IMSS was estimated as $9,341,955 MXP. The savings on temporal and permanent incapacities was $33,691,255 MXP with a cost containment of $19,701,310 MXP. Preventive programs are profitable, because they generate benefits to the workers, the IMSS and the enterprises.