Occupational Health Overview for the Wholesale and Retail Trade Industry in US

1. Occupational Health Overview for the Wholesale and Retail Trade Industry in US HeeKyoung Chun, ScD.1 Vern P. Anderson, PhD.2 Paul A. Schulte, PhD.2 John Sestito, JD.2 APTR-CDC fellow1 and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health2 Abstract WRT accounts for the largest share of Injury and Illness Cases for Older Workers Older Workers have a High Risk of Fall (Event) & Fractures (Nature) The wholesale and retail trade (WRT) sector is one of the largest sectors designated for study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) in the US. However, the WRT has been little studied comprehensively. Select data sets from the Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2005 through 2009 were used to identify fatalities, injuries and illnesses burden in various subsectors of WRT described by NAICS codes of the 4 or 5 digit levels. The results revealed that most injuries occurred in the top 5 high risk subsectors that included Beer/wine/liquor merchant wholesalers; Grocery and related product wholesalers; Home centers; Warehouse clubs and superstores; and Other building material dealers. The most common events and exposures associated with nonfatal injury and illness include overexertion, contact with objects, and falls. During the past 5 years, MSDs account for 31.6~34.2% of all lost time injuries and illnesses. The incidence rates (IRs) of MSDs (37.1-47.5 per 10,000 FTE) were much higher in the WRT sector, compared with IRs for all industries (31.3-38.6). Specific sources include containers (28.4-139.5), parts and materials (7.8-26.6) and worker motion or position (17.9-34.1), compared with IRs for private industry (12.6, 9.4 and 14.4, respectively). Moreover, the WRT has a larger percentage of older workers (15.6 -17.8% of older workforce) who may be at immense risk for these outcomes. Older workers required more days away from work to recover from a workplace injury and illness than younger workers. The median days away from work for all WRT workers was 10 days; 17 days for those aged 55-64; 12 days for workers 65 years and older. To focus intervention in this large sector, it is useful to identify high-risk subsectors and role of age in those subsectors. Programs targeted to high risk tasks in the WRT will also help reduce ergonomic hazards if applied in other industries. Proper equipment and ergonomically well-designed tasks are keys to improving occupational safety and health. Nonfatal injury and illness cases involving lost workdays, 2009 Older workers: High Median Days Away From Work High Risk Subsectors in WRT with high Incidence Rate Wholesale: Beer/wine/liquor merchant wholesalers, Grocery and related product wholesalers Retail: Home centers, Warehouse clubs and superstores, Other Building materials, Pet and pet supplies stores Retail Trade Has High Fatality due to Workplace Violence • Summary • Exposures: Overexertion, Contact Objects, Fall • Nature/Type: Sprains, Strains, Fractures • Source: Containers Floors, Vehicles • Body Part: Trunk, L & U Extremities • What it indicates: Manual materials handling: lifting, carrying, pushing, stacking is a main task in WRT The findings and conclusions in this presentation have not been formally disseminated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and should not be construed to represent any agency determination or policy.