Affiliations: Doctoral Program in Rehabilitation Sciences,
University of Western Ontario, London, Canada | School of Physical Therapy, University of Western
Ontario, London, Canada
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Anthony A. Vandervoort, PhD, Rm 1588
Elborn College, School of Physical Therapy, University of Western Ontario,
London, Ontario, Canada N6G 1H1. Tel.: +1 519 661 2111 ext. 88844; Fax: +1 519
661 3866; E-mail: vandervo@uwo.ca
Abstract: Limited information of occupational injury statistics within
academic settings exists. Universities and colleges are an important and
insightful work environment due to the varied nature of the work performed by
employee groups. The objective of this study was to describe occupational
injuries for all work groups in a large research intensive university. A
retrospective database analysis was conducted on 2029 employee incident reports
over a five year period (2000–2004) to determine general and departmental
prevalence of injury types, locations, and mechanisms. Demographic analysis
revealed an average age of 42 years and 9 years of work experience. Overall,
the most frequent injuries were to the hand (40%), were musculoskeletal in
nature (42%), and resulted from being "struck or contacted by" (33%).
The greatest number of incidents occurred in food services, followed by
physical plant and staff services. Closer examination of incidents reported by
food services indicated 53% of injuries occurred to the hand and 72%
required first aid. Notable too was that 19% of physical plant injuries
occurred to the back, but these reports accounted for 40% of total back
injuries and 50% of all lost time claims in the total database. Further
epidemiological research in academic institutions is needed to better
understand the inherent injury risk in this work sector.
