Surveillance for nonfatal work-related injuries in Alaska, 1991-1995

Historically, Alaska has had an occupational fatality rate five times greater than that for the United States. This article reports recent surveillance results for hospitalized nonfatal work-related injuries in Alaska, using the population-based Alaska Trauma Registry (ATR) from 1991 through 1995. The fishing, construction, and logging industries led with the highest number of reported cases in the ATR. Workers in the logging, water transportation, and wood product manufacturing industries had the highest injury rates. Cause, severity, type, and body region of injury were examined for each target industry. For industries with the highest numbers and rates of injuries, in most cases, falls were identified as a common cause of injuries. A fractured bone was the most common type of injury, and the extremities were the most common body region affected. The ATR has proved to be a reliable tool for work-related injury surveillance and will be helpful in planning research priorities and targeting injury prevention efforts.