Slip and fall-related injuries in relation to environmental cold and work location in above-ground coal mining operations

Background The association between slip and fall-related injuries and envir onmental temperature was examined for mostly enclosed (inside vehicles, mac hinery, or buildings), outdoor (outside, not enclosed), and enclosed/outdoo r jobs in the coal mining industry to see if differences existed among the three work locations that had varying exposure to cold temperatures. Methods Temperature data from the National Climatic Data Center and injury data from the Mine Safety and Health Administration were evaluated from 198 5-1990 fur seven states. Proportionate methods were used to examine the rel ationship between slips and falls and temperature. Results Proportionate injury ratios of slips and fall-related injuries incr eased as temperature declined for all three work locations. Proportion of s lips and fall-related injuries that occurred while running/walking increase d with declining temperature, with the ground outside as the most common so urce of these injuries. Conclusions Outside movement becomes a greater hazard at freezing temperatu res for workers in all locations, not just outdoor workers. Any interventio n methods geared toward reducing injury incidents facilitated by cold weath er must also be directed toward workers who spend time in more enclosed loc ations. Am. J, Ind, Med, 38:40-48, 2000. Published 2000 Wiley-Liss. Inc.(da gger).