Industrial accidents are related to relative body weight: the Israeli CORDIS study.

Abstract

Objectives-The accident rate might be influenced by intrinsic characteristics of the workers, by risks inherent in the work environment, or a combination of these factors. As increased weight may be associated with sleep disturbances and fatigue, a high body mass index (BMI) might be an independent risk factor for accidents in industrial workers. Methods-3801 men were examined and followed up for two years for the occurrence of accidents. The objective environmental conditions were recorded and translated into a single score of ergonomic stress level. Height and weight were recorded, as were possible confounding factors including measures of fatigue, type A personality, total night time sleep, job satisfaction, somatic complaints, smoking, and educational levels.Results-Both BMI and ergonomic stress levels independently predicted involvement in accidents (two or more) with those in the highest BMI quartile who worked in an environment with high ergonomic stress levels having a 4*6 times increased risk of accidents compared with those in the lowest BMI quartile who worked in an environment with low ergonomic stress levels (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 2-4-9-0, P < 0.001). Although increasing somatic complaints and a low educational level also were predictors of accidents, they did not mediate the effect of the BMI on the accident rate. Increasing age, less smoking, and decreased sleep hours were significantly associated with an increased BMI, but the association of BMI and involvement in accidents also could not be explained by those factors or the other confounders.Conclusions-BMI independently influences the accident rate. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings and to explore mechanisms supporting biological plausibility. (Occup Environ Med 1996;53:832-835) Keywords: body mass index; industrial; accidents Individual variations in accident rates may be due to intrinsic characteristics of the workers, because some people are exposed to more risks, or because the occurrence of an accident increases the probability of having subsequent accidents. Accidents at work have been found to be related to personal characteristics' including type A personality,2 3 dysfunctional personal backgrounds, work dissatisfaction, strain at work,4 smoking,5 fatigue, negative feelings occurring when defences against hostility conflict with authority fail,7 and age, with both younger workers and older workers having more accidents than those in the middle age range.' The effect of the "riskiness" of the work environment on the accident rate, however, was taken into account in only one of the studies' and may have biased the results.Body mass index (BMI = weight (kg) divided by height (M2)) is an intrinsic characteristic which is easy to measure, and assesses degrees of obesity. An extremely high or low body mass index was reported to be a risk factor for injuries related to training in infantry soldiers,9 and Stoohs et al reported that commercial long haul lorry drivers with a BMI of > 30 kg/M2 had a twof...

Effect of shift work on body mass index: results of a study performed in 319 glucose-tolerant men working in a Southern Italian industry

“…This is an important finding since a higher BMI is associated not only with an increased risk for morbidity and mortality, but also with accidents and injuries at work. 14,27 Our results are consistent with previous studies showing that the prevalence of obesity is higher in shift workers 15 and that weight gain occurs in late-shift workers (evening and night), 16 cleanroom workers changing from an 8 to a 12-h shift, 17 and offshore workers under continued exposure to day-night shift work. 18 Other evidence highlights a positive relationship between BMI and duration of shift work exposure.…”

Influence of obesity on accurate and rapid arm movement performed from a standing posture

“…This observation is fundamental from an ergonomic viewpoint. It may allow to explain why individuals with a higher BMI have greater risk to be involved in an accident [32][33][34] or to fall more frequently, both on the same level and at a lower level. 34 We strongly believe that this should lead to a closer examination of the direct impact of obesity on work-related injuries.…”

Shift work and age as interactive predictors of body mass index among offshore workers

“…High levels of body mass index (BMI) are not only associated with serious diseases and general health impairment, but also with accidents and injuries at work (1)(2)(3). However, although demographic factors (particularly age) and life-style variables have been widely studied as predictors of BMI (4-6), occupational factors have received less research attention.…”

“…However, although demographic factors (particularly age) and life-style variables have been widely studied as predictors of BMI (4-6), occupational factors have received less research attention. Stress at work, whether psychosocial or ergonomic, appears to play only a minor role (3,7), but significant positive relationships between long workhours and BMI have been reported (8). More directly relevant to the present study, shift work (particularly night work) has also been investigated in relation to BMI.…”