Injury analysis of teachers' occupational accidents.

BACKGROUND

Occupational accidents among teachers are a cause of concern because of their consequences regarding several parts of the body, such as the neck, back, or extremities; however, the number of studies on this issue is limited.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the possible effects of different variables (gender, age, nationality, experience, sector, day of the week, traffic accidents) associated with occupational injuries suffered by teachers.

METHODS

All teachers' accidents recorded in Spain (136,702) from 2003 to 2018 were analyzed. Odds ratios with a 95% confidence interval were calculated.

RESULTS

For injured female workers, being younger than 45, in her first month of experience, in a public school, without risk assessment, and in a traffic accident are the most important factors related to suffering a neck injury. In the case of injured male workers, to be older than 45, in a private school, and no traffic accidents are the factors detected influence suffering an injury in lower extremities.

CONCLUSIONS

Institutions and schools should pay special attention to the highest-risk profiles. Results obtained can be a very useful tool for the design and implementation of specific occupational health and safety strategies adapted to the more vulnerable workers in each kind of injury.