Determinants of occupational injury: The relationship between environmental, and ergonomic factors, and home-based direct care workers reporting one or more work-related injuries

The main objective of the study was to examine how worker environment, and ergonomic factors affect HHA risk for reporting occupational injuries. A cross-sectional analysis of data from the first National Home Health, and Hospice Aide Survey (NHHAS) conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics in 2007. The study sample consisted of a nationally represented sample of home health aides. Characteristics of the work environment included leadership support, perception of value at work, time pressure, organizational culture, and whether the HHA were assigned to care for the same patients. The ergonomic scale consisted of the use of lifting devices, consistent availability of devices when needed, and whether other needed equipment was needed to increase job safety. Univariate, and bivariate analysis were conducted to describe HHA work-related injury across individual, job, and organizational factors. In terms of work environment scale, injury risk was decreased in HHAs who did not consistently care for the same patients (OR= 0.96, 95% confidence interval [CI]:0.53-1.73). In terms of ergonomic scale, injury risk was decreased only in HHAs who reported not needing any other devices for job safety (OR= 0.30, [CI]:0.15-0.61). The aging of the baby boomers, and the United States population in general has initiated an increased demand for home health, and hospice aides (HHAs) to serve this continuously growing population. IThis study have great implications on a subcategory of the workforce that has a limited amount of published work and studies, as of today, as well as an anticipated large demand for them.