Predisposing factors to industrial hand injuries in Saudi Arabia.

A prospective study was performed on 108 consecutive cases of industrial hand injuries in Saudi Arabia to highlight predisposing factors to injury. Traumatic amputations and fractures of the radial three digits were the commonest injuries. Eighty patients (74%) worked for more than 8 hours per day, which is against Saudi labour law. Only 5% of the injured workers had similar jobs previously or formal training prior to employment. The majority (81%) admitted that safety measures were not being followed at the time of injury. Ten workers (9%) had a previous history of industrial hand injury. It was concluded that strict implementation of safety measures and Saudi labour law, proper training of employees, and the development of agencies for the prevention of occupational accidents would be important in the prevention of industrial hand injuries in Saudi Arabia.