[Work-related accidents in minors in Lombardy]

Work-related injuries in children and adolescents represent a negative indication of more general inequities of the society in which events occur. Their characteristics are not well described, particularly in Italy, and this paper is aimed at highlighting some fundamental aspects of these injuries. The case in point is represented by the injuries that received compensation and occurred in the Lombardy Region (Italy) between 1984 and 1989 and involved people under the age of eighteen. The injuries occurring in the same period and area in workers over eighteen were used for comparison. Work related injuries in minors were more frequent in crafts activities than in industry, but their gravity (in terms of deaths or permanent consequences) was lower than in the corresponding adult workers. Ninety percent of the events in young workers occurred in males, in each age category, and about 5% of the cases pertains to very young workers (less than 15 years). Cuts/lacerations are the most frequent type of lesion (49.9%) and the hands represent the site most frequently involved (55.5%). The great majority of the observed injuries pertains to a limited number of economic activity sectors: about 75% of the cases occurred in ten sectors. Metal manufacturing, construction and machine production scored first, with interesting correlations with the same sectors in adult workers. Ten specific occupations represent over fifty percent of the cases, with mechanics and bricklayers at the top. The description of the accident in terms of mode of occurrence and the agents involved was less informative and not specific.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)