Spine · 1991 · 17 citations · 0 references
Public HealthInjury PreventionPetroleum EngineeringOccupational HealthOccupational Injury PreventionWorkplace Injury PreventionMusculoskeletal Disorder PreventionOccupational StressSports InjuriesWork-related Musculoskeletal DisordersWorking ConditionsWorkplace ConditionsEmployee LayoffsLow-back Injury PreventionMass LayoffsMusculoskeletal Injury PreventionOccupational TraumaWork-related Musculoskeletal Disorder PreventionWork-related TraumaWorkplace Musculoskeletal Disorders
Trends in rates of low-back strains, low-back impact injuries, and non-low-back injuries among field employees of a petroleum drilling company, 1979-1985, were examined to investigate the relationship between economic factors and the incidence of low-back and other injuries. Economic indicators included the rate of resignations, a surrogate for turnover, and the rate of layoffs. Only lost-time low-back strain rates increased during times of worker layoffs. Non-low-back injury rates were highest during periods of high turnover and no layoffs. Although the increasing age of the work force and the anxiety generated by an industry-wide depression may have played a role, it is likely that the increase in lost-time low-back strain injuries was a worker response to possible layoff.