Emergency Department Surveillance of Occupational Injuries in Shanghaiʹs Putuo District, Peopleʹs Republic of China

Purpose Although the Peopleʹs Republic of China has an enormous worker population, occupational injury data availability has been hindered by the lack of a national surveillance system. This study compared work with non-work-related injuries by diagnosis, cause, and demographic characteristics of cases treated in a moderate-sized emergency department (ED) in Shanghai. Methods Data on all injury cases presenting to the ED were collected prospectively from November 1, 1998 through November 31, 1999 at the Putuo District Hospital. Results A total of 5200 injuries were recorded; 3175 (61.1%) injuries occurred in individuals aged 18 to 60 years and of these, 38% occurred at work, 15.8% occurred going to or coming from work, and 46.2% were non-work-related. Top three causes of at-work-only injuries were cutting/piercing instruments, assault, and struck by/caught in objects. Injuries caused by machinery (prevalence ratio [PR] = 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2–2.6) and being struck by a falling object (PR = 1.8; CI, 1.6–2.1) were among those more likely to have occurred at work. Conclusions These findings are an important first step in implementing injury surveillance in Shanghai hospitals to track injury patterns and to ultimately inform injury prevention efforts in this major international urban center.