Trends in the disproportionate burden of work-related traumatic injuries sustained by Latinos.

Abstract

Disproportionate occupational injury rates for Latinos are well documented, but there is limited information about whether disparity is increasing over time. This study describes trends in the burden of work-related traumatic injuries sustained by Latinos in Washington State. Washington State Trauma Registry data from 1998 to 2008 were used to model annual change in the odds that a work-related traumatic injury was sustained by a Latino, controlling for demographics, injury-related factors, and Latino representation in the underlying labor force. We found a 5% mean annual increase in the odds that a comparable work-related traumatic injury was sustained by a Latino (P = 0.007). Falls in industrial/mine/quarry locations were the strongest contributor to increasing disparity. Latinos bear an increasingly disproportionate burden of occupational injuries and are less likely to have health insurance coverage aside from workers' compensation.