Impact of Extreme Bushfires on Occupational Injury and Disease Claims in the Nonemergency Response Labor Force

IF 3.1 3区医学 Q2 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

American journal of industrial medicine Pub Date : 2025-07-09 DOI:10.1002/ajim.70004

Win Wah, Janneke Berecki-Gisolf, Alex Collie, Karen Walker-Bone

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Extreme bushfires pose significant occupational health risks; however, research has primarily focused on emergency responders without investigating the effects on the broader labor force. This study examined the association between extreme bushfire periods and workers' compensation claims in the nonemergency response workforce.

Methods

Workers' compensation claims from the labor force (excluding first responders) were obtained from WorkSafe Victoria for the period January 2005 through April 2023. Claims for injury or disease with recorded onset dates that occurred during extreme bushfires in Victoria, Australia (Black Saturday 2009; Black Summer 2019–2020) were compared with claims in other periods using logistic regression, adjusting for sociodemographic, injury/disease, occupational, and seasonality variables.

Results

Of 78,057 claims, 1646 (2.1%) had injury/disease onset dates within extreme bushfire periods. Extreme bushfire period claims were associated with workers aged 25–34 years (odds ratio [OR] = 1.21, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04–1.42) and ≥ 55 years (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.12–1.51) compared to those aged 35–44 years. Claims for respiratory conditions (OR = 3.81, 95% CI = 2.58–5.62) and fractures (OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.09–1.56) were associated with extreme bushfire periods. Claims from workers in construction (OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.03–1.51), accommodation and food services (OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.18–1.99), education and training (OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.07–1.67), and financial services (OR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.35–3.00) industries, relative to manufacturing industry claims, were associated with extreme bushfire periods.

Conclusion

During extreme bushfire events, patterns of workers' compensation claims changed somewhat among the nonemergency response labor force. Although these were relatively small numbers of events, this study provided some evidence to suggest that events like bushfires, predicted to become more common, could have wider occupational consequences, highlighting the need for prevention and mitigation strategies.

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极端森林大火对非紧急响应劳动力职业伤害和疾病索赔的影响

背景：极端森林火灾造成重大职业健康风险；然而，研究主要集中在紧急救援人员身上，而没有调查对更广泛的劳动力的影响。本研究考察了极端森林大火时期与非应急响应劳动力中工人赔偿索赔之间的关系。方法：从2005年1月至2023年4月，从维多利亚工作安全中心获得劳动力（不包括第一响应者）的工人赔偿要求。澳大利亚维多利亚州极端森林火灾期间发生的有发病日期记录的伤害或疾病索赔(2009年黑色星期六；黑色夏季（2019-2020）与其他时期的索赔进行了比较，使用逻辑回归，调整了社会人口统计学、伤害/疾病、职业和季节性变量。结果：在78057例索赔中，1646例（2.1%）的伤害/疾病发病日期在极端森林火灾期间。与35-44岁的工人相比，极端森林火灾期间索赔与25-34岁（比值比[OR] = 1.21, 95%可信区间[CI] = 1.04-1.42）和≥55岁（OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.12-1.51）的工人相关。呼吸系统疾病（OR = 3.81, 95% CI = 2.58-5.62）和骨折（OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.09-1.56）的索赔与极端森林大火时期相关。与制造业索赔相比，建筑行业（OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.03-1.51）、住宿和食品服务行业（OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.18-1.99）、教育和培训行业（OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.07-1.67）和金融服务行业（OR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.35-3.00）工人的索赔与极端森林大火时期有关。结论：在极端山火事件中，非应急劳动力的工伤索赔模式发生了一定的变化。虽然这些事件的数量相对较少，但本研究提供的一些证据表明，预计将变得更加常见的森林火灾等事件可能产生更广泛的职业后果，突出表明需要制定预防和缓解战略。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

American journal of industrial medicine 医学-公共卫生、环境卫生与职业卫生

CiteScore

5.90

自引率

5.70%

发文量

108

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： American Journal of Industrial Medicine considers for publication reports of original research, review articles, instructive case reports, and analyses of policy in the fields of occupational and environmental health and safety. The Journal also accepts commentaries, book reviews and letters of comment and criticism. The goals of the journal are to advance and disseminate knowledge, promote research and foster the prevention of disease and injury. Specific topics of interest include: occupational disease; environmental disease; pesticides; cancer; occupational epidemiology; environmental epidemiology; disease surveillance systems; ergonomics; dust diseases; lead poisoning; neurotoxicology; endocrine disruptors.