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Comparison of Finger, Hand, and Wrist Injuries in the US Air Force to US Workers
Melody Gwilliam1, Scott Hendricks, Christina Socias-Morales
1From the NIOSH Division of Safety Research (DSR), Morgantown, West Virginia (M.G., S.H., C.S.-M., H.G., A.R.); and US Air Force Safety Center (AFSEC), Albuquerque, New Mexico (B.B., H.S.).
Objective:
Fingers, hands, and wrists (FHW) are the most frequently injured body parts in work-related injuries. This study described and compared FHW injuries among enlisted, officer, and civilian US Air Force (USAF) personnel to those in the US workforce.
Methods:
All work-related, noncombat FHW injuries (≥1 lost workday) and demographics among USAF personnel and US workforce (2008-2018) were included. The USAF FHW injury rates were age adjusted to the US employment and compared by sex, source, event, and nature of the injuries.
Results:
Finger, hand, and wrist injuries were significantly lower among the USAF personnel and among females. In both populations, FHW injuries from falls were higher and increased with age group among females. Males had higher overall FHW injuries from contact with objects and equipment.
Conclusions:
Prevention efforts should focus on understanding risk factors and sharing successful prevention activities.
