Factors associated with fatal occupational accidents among Mexican workers: a national analysis

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 10; no. 3; p. e0121490
• Main Authors: Gonzalez-Delgado, Mery, Gómez-Dantés, Héctor, Fernández-Niño, Julián Alfredo, Robles, Eduardo, Borja, Víctor H, Aguilar, Miriam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 19-03-2015; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Accidents; Accidents, Occupational - mortality; Adult; Costs; Data processing; Databases, Factual; Epidemiology; Fatalities; Female; Health risks; Humans; Illnesses; Informal economy; Information systems; Injuries; Injury analysis; Lethality; Male; Mens health; Mexico; Middle Aged; Occupational accidents; Occupational health; Occupational Injuries - mortality; Occupational safety; Population; Public health; Regression analysis; Regression models; Risk analysis; Risk Factors; Social security; Studies; Work related injuries; Workers; Working conditions; Mexico; Iran
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121490

To identify the factors associated with fatal occupational injuries in Mexico in 2012 among workers affiliated with the Mexican Social Security Institute.
Analysis of secondary data using information from the National Occupational Risk Information System, with the consequence of the occupational injury (fatal versus non-fatal) as the response variable. The analysis included 406,222 non-fatal and 1,140 fatal injuries from 2012. The factors associated with the lethality of the injury were identified using a logistic regression model with the Firth approach.
Being male (OR=5.86; CI95%: 4.22-8.14), age (OR=1.04; CI95%: 1.03-1.06), employed in the position for 1 to 10 years (versus less than 1 year) (OR=1.37; CI95%: 1.15-1.63), working as a facilities or machine operator or assembler (OR: 3.28; CI95%: 2.12- 5.07) and being a worker without qualifications (OR=1.96; CI95%: 1.18-3.24) (versus an office worker) were associated with fatality in the event of an injury. Additionally, companies classified as maximum risk (OR=1.90; CI 95%: 1.38-2.62), workplace conditions (OR=7.15; CI95%: 3.63-14.10) and factors related to the work environment (OR=9.18; CI95%:4.36-19.33) were identified as risk factors for fatality in the event of an occupational injury.
Fatality in the event of an occupational injury is associated with factors related to sociodemographics (age, sex and occupation), the work environment and workplace conditions. Worker protection policies should be created for groups with a higher risk of fatal occupational injuries in Mexico.