An Under-Recognized Burden: Occupational Injuries in Adolescents and Young Adults Presenting to Emergency Care in...

Occupational injuries in adolescents and young adults are a significant public health burden. This study aims to evaluate the clinical characteristics, injury patterns, and outcomes of young workers presenting to a pediatric emergency department in Ankara, the capital of Türkiye.

This retrospective study analyzed 192 young workers (aged 14-21 years) who presented to the emergency department between January 1, 2023 and January 1, 2025. Injuries were classified according to the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS), ILO hazardous work criteria, and "severe injury" definitions. Statistical analysis compared adolescent workers (14-17 years) and young adult workers (18-21 years).

The median age of the cases was 18 years (IQR 16-20), and 156 (81.3%) were male. The most common types of injury were soft tissue damage (n = 44, 22.9%) and blunt/penetrating trauma (n = 43, 22.4%). The most common anatomical sites of injury were the hand-wrist (n = 72, 37.5%) and eye (n = 37, 19.3%) regions. A total of 43 (22.3%) cases worked in occupations that were not age-appropriate and 39 (20.3%) patients met the criteria for "severe injury." Surgical intervention was performed on 32 patients (16.7%), while permanent sequelae developed in 25 cases (13%). Notably, despite the need for medical intervention, no official work accident report was found in 69 (35.9%) cases, and 48 (25%) patients had recorded follow-up presentations for occupational injuries.

Occupational injuries in young workers are a serious public health problem with high morbidity and surgical requirement rates. The reporting gap between clinical reality and official records indicates that these cases are under-recognized. Pediatric emergency departments are critical monitoring points for documenting these injuries, developing preventive policies, and identifying hazardous working conditions.