A Cross-sectional Analysis of Patterns of Occupational Injuries among Patients Presenting at Lahore General Hospital Trauma Center

Authors

  • Wareesha Akram Lahore General Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan Author
  • Aqsa Hayat Lahore General Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan Author
  • Nimra Javaid University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan Author https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9052-7633

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.68041/anjmls.v1i3/02

Keywords:

Accidents, Occupational, Occupational Health, Occupational Injuries, Personal Protective Equipment, Risk Factors, Trauma Centers

Abstract

Background: Occupational injuries are a preventable cause of morbidity and disability, especially in developing countries with limited enforcement of workplace safety standards. This study aimed to describe occupational injury patterns and find independent risk factors for severe injury among patients attending Lahore General Hospital Trauma Center. Methods: This study collected demographic, occupational, injury, and clinical data through interviews, examinations, and hospital records of 240 adults with work-related injuries. Injuries were classified as mild/moderate or severe based on injury type, surgery, multiple injuries, intensive care unit admission, and prolonged hospitalization. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 26.0, and multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with severe injury at p < 0.05. Results: The proportions of industrial and construction workers were 93 (38.8%) and 66 (27.5%), respectively. The most common injuries were machinery-related 71 (29.6%) and falls from height 58 (24.2%), with the upper limbs the most common site of injury 100 (41.7%). Fractures accounted for the highest frequency 87 (36.3%), with 96 (40.0%) requiring surgery and 118 (49.2%) being admitted. Severe injury was independently associated with lack of personal protective equipment (AOR=3.74, 95% CI: 1.95–7.16), working >8 hours/day (AOR=2.96, 95% CI: 1.54–5.69), experience <5 years (AOR=2.41, 95% CI: 1.23–4.71), no formal safety training (AOR=2.18, 95% CI: 1.08–4.39), and machinery-related accidents (AOR=1.96, 95% CI: 1.01–3.82). Conclusion: Most of the occupational injuries involve machinery, falls, upper limbs, and fractures suffered by males. Better compliance with PPE, more formal safety training, and supervision of inexperienced workers could reduce serious occupational trauma.

 

Author Biographies

  • Wareesha Akram, Lahore General Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan

    College of Nursing,

  • Aqsa Hayat, Lahore General Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan

    College of Nursing

  • Nimra Javaid, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan

    Institute of Microbiology

References

1. Takala J, Hämäläinen P, Sauni R, Nygård CH, Gagliardi D, Neupane S. Global-, regional- and country-level estimates of the work-related burden of diseases and accidents in 2019. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2024;50(2):73–82. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.4132 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.4132

2. Hämäläinen P, Neupane S, Nygård CH, Sauni R, Takala J. Comparative global estimates on the work-related burden of accidents and diseases. Saf Health Work. 2022;13:S130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2021.12.1158 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2021.12.1158

3. Quintero Santofimio V, Amaral AFS, Feary J. Occupational exposures in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review. PLOS Glob Public Health. 2024;4(11):e0003888. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0003888 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0003888

4. Yokoyama K, Iijima S, Ito H, Kan M. The socio-economic impact of occupational diseases and injuries. Ind Health. 2013;51(5):459–461. https://doi.org/10.2486/indhealth.500 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2486/indhealth.500

5. Noman M, Mujahid N, Fatima A. The assessment of occupational injuries of workers in Pakistan. Saf Health Work. 2021;12(4):452–461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2021.06.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2021.06.001

6. Rafindadi AD, Napiah M, Othman I, Mikić M, Haruna A, Alarifi H, et al. Analysis of the causes and preventive measures of fatal fall-related accidents in the construction industry. Ain Shams Eng J. 2022;13(4):101712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2022.101712 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asej.2022.101712

7. Issa SA, Mhina RI. A descriptive, cross-sectional analysis of occupational upper limb injuries at a tertiary trauma centre in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. East Cent Afr J Surg. 2023;28(4):106–110. https://doi.org/10.4314/ecajs.v28i4.2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/ecajs.v28i4.2

8. Debela MB, Deyessa N, Begosew AM, Azage M. Occupational health and safety practices and associated factors among workers in Ethiopia's Metehara and Wonji sugar industries: a convergent parallel mixed design. BMJ Open. 2023;13(2). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-065382 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-065382

9. Benson C, Obasi IC, Akinwande DV, Ile C. The impact of interventions on health, safety and environment in the process industry. Heliyon. 2024;10(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23604 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23604

10. Umair M, Yousuf MU. Workforce safety vulnerabilities in Pakistan’s construction sector. Ann Glob Health. 2026;92(1):32. https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.5077 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.5077

11. Zahoor H, Chan APC, Masood R, Choudhry RM, Javed AA, Utama WP. Occupational safety and health performance in the Pakistani construction industry: stakeholders’ perspective. Int J Constr Manag. 2016;16(3):209–219. https://doi.org/10.1080/15623599.2015.1138027 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15623599.2015.1138027

12. Abbas M. Trend of occupational injuries/diseases in Pakistan: index value analysis of injured employed persons from 2001–02 to 2012–13. Saf Health Work. 2015;6(3):218–226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2015.05.004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2015.05.004

13. Sullivan KM, Dean A, Soe MM. OpenEpi: a web-based epidemiologic and statistical calculator for public health. Public Health Rep. 2009;124(3):471–474. https://doi.org/10.1177/003335490912400320 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/003335490912400320

14. Goodyear MDE, Krleza-Jeric K, Lemmens T. The Declaration of Helsinki. BMJ. 2007;335(7621):624–625. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39339.610000.BE DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39339.610000.BE

15. Allana A, Khan AA, Yousuf M, Cullinan P, Nafees AA. Prevalence of occupational injuries among construction workers in Karachi, Pakistan. PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025;5(4):e0004578. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0004578 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0004578

16. Khalid R. Determinants of occupational injuries in Pakistan: evidence from Pakistan Labor Force Survey. İzmir J Manag. 2025;6(1):28–40. https://doi.org/10.56203/iyd.1614195 DOI: https://doi.org/10.56203/iyd.1614195

17. Anantharaman V, Zuhary TM, Ying H, Krishnamurthy N. Characteristics of injuries resulting from falls from height in the construction industry. Singapore Med J. 2023;64(4):237–243. https://doi.org/10.11622/smedj.2022017 DOI: https://doi.org/10.11622/smedj.2022017

18. Sehsah R, El-Gilany AH, Ibrahim AM. Personal protective equipment use and its relation to accidents among construction workers. Med Lav. 2020;111(4):285–295. https://doi.org/10.23749/mdl.v111i4.9398 DOI: https://doi.org/10.23749/mdl.v111i4.9398

19. Kaur H, Wurzelbacher SJ, Bushnell PT, Bertke S, Meyers AR, Grosch JW, et al. Occupational injuries among construction workers by age and related economic loss: findings from Ohio workers’ compensation, USA, 2007–2017. Saf Health Work. 2023;14(4):406–414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2023.10.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2023.10.003

20. Parimita P, Debata I, Nayak S, Behera BK. Work-related injuries and stress among iron and steel fabrication workers in Bhubaneswar, Odisha: a cross-sectional study. Int J Occup Saf Health. 2024;14(4):522–532. https://doi.org/10.3126/ijosh.v14i4.59821 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3126/ijosh.v14i4.59821

21. Del Giudice ME, Sharafkhani M, Di Nardo M, Murino T, Leva MC. Exploring safety of machineries and training: an overview of current literature applied to manufacturing environments. Processes. 2024;12(4):684. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12040684 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12040684

22. Meseret M, Ehetie T, Hailye G, Regasa Z, Biruk K. Occupational injury and associated factors among construction workers in Ethiopia: a systematic and meta-analysis. Arch Environ Occup Health. 2022;77(4):328–337. https://doi.org/10.1080/19338244.2021.1893629 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19338244.2021.1893629

23. George J, Shafqat N, Verma R, Patidar AB. Factors influencing compliance with personal protective equipment (PPE) use among healthcare workers. Cureus. 2023;15(2):e35269. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.35269 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.35269

24. Brisbine BR, Radcliffe CR, Jones MLH, Stirling L, Coltman CE. Does the fit of personal protective equipment affect functional performance? A systematic review across occupational domains. PLoS One. 2022;17(11):e0278174. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278174 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278174

25. Matre D, Skogstad M, Sterud T, Nordby KC, Knardahl S, Christensen JO, et al. Safety incidents associated with extended working hours: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2021;47(6):415–424. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3958 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3958

26. Robson LS, Stephenson CM, Schulte PA, Amick BC III, Irvin EL, Eggerth DE, et al. A systematic review of the effectiveness of occupational health and safety training. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2012;38(3):193–208. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3259 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3259

27. Khadatkar A, Agarwal KN, Gite LP, Kot LS. Work-related injuries among farm workers engaged in agricultural operations in India: a cross-sectional study. Inj Prev. 2022;28(5):415–421. https://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2022-044541 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2022-044541

28. Hosseinipalangi Z, Golmohammadi Z, Ghashghaee A, Ahmadi N, Hosseinifard H, Mejareh Z, et al. Global, regional and national incidence and causes of needlestick injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. East Mediterr Health J. 2022;28(3):233–241. https://doi.org/10.26719/emhj.22.031 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26719/emhj.22.031

Downloads

Published

2026-09-20

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 3 (2026): September

Section

Original Article

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Wareesha Akram, Aqsa Hayat, Nimra Javaid

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Al-Najam Journal of Medical and Life Sciences (ANJMLS) follows the Attribution Creative Commons-Non commercial (CC BY-NC) license which allows the users to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, remix, transform and build upon the material. The users must give credit to the source and indicate, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. However, the CC BY-NC license restricts the use of material for commercial purposes (Further details are available at website. The Editorial Board of the ANJMLS endeavors to ensure the accuracy, integrity, and quality of all published content. However, the responsibility of opinions, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in the published articles rests entirely with the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board, publisher, or affiliated institutions.

How to Cite

A Cross-sectional Analysis of Patterns of Occupational Injuries among Patients Presenting at Lahore General Hospital Trauma Center. (2026). Al-Najam Journal of Medical and Life Sciences, 1(3), 58-62. https://doi.org/10.68041/anjmls.v1i3/02