Journal of occupational medicine. : official publication of the Industrial Medical Association
-
Mortality from burns in the United States has not improved appreciably since 1955 among men, and the rate of decline among women appears to be slowing. Although one-quarter of all serious burns result from occupational accidents, few systematic epidemiologic studies of occupational burns have been conducted. We reviewed 232 cases of occupational burns among the 1,076 civilians seen as outpatients or admitted to the Regional Burn Treatment Center of the University of California Medical Center in San Diego from 1977 to 1982. ⋯ Hispanics were overrepresented compared with their representation in the general population. Occupational associations included scalds due to hot grease among restaurant workers, tar burns among roofing workers, electrical burns among farm workers, and injuries reflecting hazards to firefighters and electricians. The number of days off work after hospitalization correlated closely with the number of days hospitalized, which in turn correlated significantly with percentage of body surface area burned.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)