Miguel Ángel Camino López

Construction industry accidents in Spain

PROBLEM This paper analyzed industrial accidents that take place on construction sites and their severity. METHOD Eighteen variables were studied. We analyzed the influence of each of these with respect to the severity and fatality of the accident. This descriptive analysis was grounded in 1,630,452 accidents, representing the total number of accidents suffered by workers in the construction sector in Spain over the period 1990-2000. RESULTS It was shown that age, type of contract, time of accident, length of service in the company, company size, day of the week, and the remainder of the variables under analysis influenced the seriousness of the accident. IMPACT ON INJURY PREVENTION: The results obtained show that different training was needed, depending on the severity of accidents, for different age, length of service in the company, organization of work, and time when workers work. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY The research provides an insight to the likely causes of construction injuries in Spain. As a result of the analysis, industries and governmental agencies in Spain can start to provide appropriate strategies and training to the construction workers.

Occupational accidents with ladders in Spain: Risk factors

INTRODUCTION Occupational accidents suffered by workers in Spain when using ladders were analyzed over a six year period from 2003-2008, during which the total of notified ladder-related accidents amounted to 21,725. METHOD Different accident-related factors were identified for the purpose of developing a pattern of those factors that had the greatest influence on the seriousness and the fatality of such accidents. Thus, a series of variables were examined such as age and length of service of the injured worker, firm size, the work sector, the injury suffered, and the part of the body that was injured. Since falls is the most frequent and most serious of ladder related occupational accidents, a special analysis of falls was performed. RESULTS The findings showed that the seriousness of ladder-related accidents increased with the age of the injured worker. Likewise, accidents at places other than the usual workplace were more serious and registered higher fatalities than those that occurred at the usual place of work. CONCLUSIONS The analysis of falls from ladders established that accidents in smaller-sized firms were of greater seriousness and involved more fatalities than those in larger-sized firms. The investigation also underlined the need for stricter compliance with preliminary safety assessments when working with ladders.

Gender Differences in Commuting Injuries in Spain and Their Impact on Injury Prevention

A gender analysis of workers injured while commuting in Spain is presented, distinguishing between injury due to traffic-related accidents and injury due to other causes. Method. A total of 266,646 traffic-related injuries and 168,129 nontraffic-related injuries are studied over the period 2006–2010. Results. In Spain, the accident rate recorded in working hours is much higher among men; nevertheless, it is curious that commuting-related accident rates are higher among women than men, in both traffic-related injuries and nontraffic-related injuries. The study of the frequency distribution confirmed that many more injuries occurred in Spain while commuting to work rather than from work and that women suffered twice as many injuries as men at nine in the morning. Musculoskeletal disorders are the only injuries that registered a higher number of cases among women and falls to the same level are the most relevant cause among women. Conclusions. The analysis of these and more findings established that a great effort should go into the promotion of preventive measures in favour of women workers. These results may encourage companies to modify their accident prevention plans, so as to increase their effectiveness in the struggle against occupational accidents following the five points described in this article.