Incidence, external causes, and outcomes of work-related brain injuries in males

Little published information is available on the incidence of brain injury from work-related activities. A study of brain injury of residents of San Diego County, California, showed that the overall work-related injury rate for males was 19.8 per 100,000 workers (45.9 per 100 million hours). The incidence rates for male civilian and military personnel were 15.2 and 37.0 per 100,000 workers, respectively. In addition, the annual incidence of such injuries was 9.9 per 100 million work hours for males in the work force (18.5 per 100 million hours for military personnel and 7.6 per 100 million hours for civilians). Among military personnel, more than half of all work-related brain injuries were transportation related, primarily from off-road vehicles. Among civilians, more than half were due to falls. For both the military and civilian groups, work-related brain injury rates were markedly higher among young workers than among older ones.