Occupational Injury Among Janitors: Injury Incidence, Severity, and Associated Risk Factors.

Abstract

Determine injury incidence and severity and potential associated risk factors for injury, among janitors. Questionnaires were disseminated to 1200 full-time janitors in the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 26 union; 390 responded and provided information on their injury experiences and exposures, based on personal characteristics and work-related activities. Multivariable analyses, including bias adjustment, were implemented using directed acyclic graphs to determine potential risk. Among the janitors, 34% reported experiencing at least one injury; 16% of cases resulted in hospital admittance. Significantly increased risks were identified for age, ethnicity, shift start time, and physician-diagnosed depression. Knowledge of specific risk and protective factors is valuable, and can serve as a basis for further in-depth studies and inform the development of targeted intervention strategies aimed to reduce occurrence of these injuries.