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28 SA JOURNAL OF PHYSIOTHERAPY 2007 VOL 63 NO 1

Injury Profile of Employees at a Specific
Beverage Manufacturing Company:

A Retrospective Study

R e t r o s p e c t i v e

S t u d y

INTRODUCTION
For over a decade occupational injury
has been acknowledged as a major 
public health problem internationally.
Increasing injury prevalence and inci-
dence rates, escalating costs of treatment,
impact of limited success in injury 
prevention strategies in companies have
all attributed to the seriousness of the
problem (Krause et al., 1996). In South
Africa, very little data exists on the
prevalence and incidence of occupational
injuries at specific companies. 

Salazar (1987) has suggested that an
understanding of the types and preva-
lence of injury will better prepare a 
company to increase the awareness for
health promotion and injury prevention

training. Analysis by the occupational
heath sector in developed countries like
the United States of America (USA) and
Canada estimates that almost one in ten
employees in a manufacturing company
will face casualty in the course of the
year for occupational injuries, with a
combined annual cost of $172 billion
(Evenoff et al., 2002). The epidemiology
of other companies with very high rates
of specific and preventable injuries
include the food and fishing processing
companies with an estimated 17 occu-
pational injuries per 1000 employees per
annum (Harker et al., 1991).

The economic losses placed on 
companies as a result of occupational
injuries is significant. Sources of this
financial burden are incurred from
decreased or loss of productivity, esca-
lating medical and indemnity costs
(Amell and Kumar, 2001). They are also
of immediate concern to the families of
employees who are adversely affected
by such injuries.

It is in the best interest of companies
to reduce or prevent occupational injuries
before they develop into medical, social

and economic concern (Robinson et al.,
1997). It is pertinent that a thorough
understanding of the mechanisms, type,
classification, anatomical site, frequency
and time of injury is documented to
assist the occupational physiotherapist,
amongst others, to adequately plan for a
particular injury. 

Therefore the purpose of this retro-
spective study was to detail the occupa-
tional injuries that occurred at a specific
beverage manufacturing company. 

METHODOLOGY

Research Setting
This research was a conducted at a spe-
cific beverage manufacturing company
within the greater Durban area. This
specific company was chosen because it
is reflective of several manufacturing
companies worldwide and at the time of
the study employed 327 workers making
this study feasible.  The company con-
sisted of several sites involving the 
production and storage of alcoholic
beverages. This included seven perma-
nent departments and four contractual

ABSTRACT:  This article reports on important information pertaining to
the prevalence of occupational injuries. At present very little data exists
on the prevalence of occupational injuries in South Africa. 

A retrospective study was undertaken to detail the occupational injuries
sustained by employees at a specific beverage manufacturing company.
The aim of this study was to determine the mechanisms, type, classification,
anatomical site, frequency and time of injuries at this beverage company.
The sample consisted of all employees that reported to the occupational
health clinic with occupational injuries during the six-month review period i.e. July 2004-December 2004. Results of
this review were computed in a self-complied injury data spreadsheet. The data was presented descriptively and the
level of significance was set at 0.05. 

Incorrect lifting of manual materials was reported as the most common mechanism of injury. Repetitive strain
injuries were the most common type of injury. The spine/trunk was the site of 48 (66.7% of regions) injuries with the
most frequently injured regions being the back (43.1%) and neck (22.2%). Most of the injuries were sustained during
the month of December (27.8%). 

It is recommended that aggressive health promotion and injury prevention strategies be implemented to reduce the
burden of occupational injuries at this specific beverage manufacturing company.

KEY WORDS:  INJURY PROFILE, BEVERAGE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, EMPLOYEES.

Chetty L, MSc (Physiotherapy)1,
Jelsma J, PhD1,

Maart S, BSc (Physiotherapy)1

1
University of Cape Town, Faculty of Health
Sciences, Division of Physiotherapy, South Africa.

CORRESPONDENCE TO:
Laran Chetty
University of Cape Town
Faculty of Health Sciences
Division of Physiotherapy
Anzio Road
Observatory, 7925
Cape Town, South Africa



SA JOURNAL OF PHYSIOTHERAPY 2007 VOL 63 NO 1          29

departments. The seven permanent
departments were the plant box, admini-
stration, workshop, medical centre,
waste, risk control and stores. The four
contractual departments (which have a
3-year renewable lease) were the laundry,
catering, mail holding and forwarding
services and technical services (i.e. elec-
trical services, carpentry services, air
conditioning services). An overview of
the medical centre is described below.

Medical Centre
The occupational health clinic is situated
within the medical centre and is con-
cerned with staff-related health matters.
The medical centre consists of one full-
time company doctor, four occupational
health nurses and two medical service
coordinators. Two types of healthcare
are provided, namely, primary health
and occupational health. The primary
healthcare facet provides workers who
are not members of a medical aid plan
with basic healthcare and advice. This
healthcare includes the provision of a
single course of medication if required
or referral to a provincial hospital for an
injury or disease that require more
advanced or continued care.

The medical service coordinators are
responsible for the implementation and
control of the occupational health facet.
The aims are to identify those processes,
chemical substances or types of work
that could negatively impact on an
employees’ health and to eliminate, 
minimize or control the hazard.

The occupational health programme
at this company is compliant with the
extent of the Occupation Health and
Safety Act of 1993 that requires occupa-
tional health risk areas, jobs, processes,
hazardous substances etc., to be identified,
assessed, quantified and appropriate
measures to be developed and imple-
mented. The identification and assess-
ment of occupational health risks are
carried out via the Risk Management
Programme (RMP). Consultants are
used from time to time to assess the risk
or to assist the company in setting up
injury prevention strategies so that 
occupational health personnel can carry
out the necessary tasks to assess the
injury. 

The medical centre is open 24 hours a
day, seven days a week. In the event of
an onsite emergency where medical

assistance is required, an internal tele-
phone number is available. All employees
are required to report any occupational
injury to the medical service coordinator
before the end of their shift.

Ethical Approval
This study has received ethical clearance
from the University of Cape Town
Ethics Committee. 

Sample
The sample consisted of all employees,
regardless of age, gender, work experi-
ence or race that reported to the occupa-
tional health clinic with occupational
injuries during the six-month review
period i.e. July 2004-December 2004.
The following employees were excluded
from this study: those who were injured
outside the company, those who were
injured at work but have only sought
treatment elsewhere, those who reported
injuries outside the company and those
with medical conditions pre-dating their
employment at the company.

Procedure
Permission to conduct the study was
obtained from senior management and
the employees’ union representatives.
Informed consent to access clinic records
was obtained from all employees who
reported to the occupational health 
clinic prior to the commencement of the
study.

A retrospective study of the injury
data was conducted as follows. All
available records i.e. the clinical records,
workman’s compensation records,
insurance claims and accident reports
were reviewed and the relevant infor-
mation retrieved by the principle
researcher. This information included
department, gender, age, mechanism of
injury, type of injury, classification of
injury, anatomical site, number of
reported cases, month of injury and days
off work. In order to ensure reliability
and accuracy of the injury data extracted,
all information was validated with a 
second reviewer.

Results of this review were computed
in a self-compiled injury data spread-
sheet.  Face validity of the injury data
spreadsheet was addressed as it was
designed after consulting the relevant
literature on gathering of epidemiology
information regarding musculoskeletal

injury (Hamzat et al., 2004; Jelsma et
al., 1997).  Content validity of the injury
data spreadsheet was addressed as input
from experts in physiotherapy research
and occupational health were consulted
to scrutinize a draft copy. The data from
the spreadsheet was analyzed using the
Statistica 7 package and presented
descriptively. The level of significance
was set at 0.05.

RESULTS

Demographic Data
There were 72 employees who reported
to the occupational health clinic during
the six-month study period (July 2004-
December 2004) and their records were
accessed and reviewed. The mean age of
this group was 39.9 years (SD=6.4) and
the range was 22 to 51 years. There were
42 males and 30 females. This denotes a
58:42 ratio. A Chi-square test indicated
that significantly (p=0.00) more males
than females were injured compared to
the number of employees at the company.

Males between 25-29 years of age
made up the majority (30.95%) of
reported injury cases in this age group,
with the age group 30-34 years account-
ing for 19% and the age group 40-44
years for another 19% of the total 
number of reported cases. In females,
the age groups 25-29 (26.7%) years and
30-34 (26.7%) years accounted equally
for the majority of reported cases. The
age group 45+ in both males (0%) and
females (3.3%) accounted for the least
number of reported cases.

Mechanisms of Injury
The most common mechanism of injury
was incorrect lifting of manual materials
as reported in 31 (42.5%) cases. Both
poor workstation posture and being
struck by an object was cited in 16
(22.2%) cases each. The least number of
reported cases which contributed to a
combined total of 3 (4.2%) cases were in
the areas of using incorrect hand-reach
distances, being exposed to poisonous
fumes and machine-related injuries.

Types of Injury
Repetitive strain injuries were the most
common type of injury with 48 (66.7%)
injuries being reported to the occupa-
tional health clinic. Bruising accounted
for a slightly higher number of injuries



30 SA JOURNAL OF PHYSIOTHERAPY 2007 VOL 63 NO 1

(n=9, 12.5%) as compared to lacerations
which accounted for 6 (8.3%) injuries.
Other types of injuries that accounted
for less than three reported cases included
amputations, burns, fractures, inhalation,
splashes, sprains and unconsciousness.

Anatomical Sites and Classification of
Injury
A total of 72 injuries with 13 injured
regions of the body were documented.
The spine/trunk was the site of 48
(66.7% of regions) injuries with the
most frequently injured regions being
the back (43.1%) and the neck (22.2%).
The upper limb was the site of 16
(22.2% of regions) injuries with the arm
being the most often injured region
accounting for 9 (12.5%) of injuries.
The lower limb, head region, internal
structures and multiple injuries accounted
for less than 5% of all reported injuries.
The spine/trunk, upper limb and multi-
ple regions accounted for 3 (4.2%) of
permanent injuries.

Time of Injury
Most of the injuries were sustained dur-
ing the months of December (mean=20,
27.8%), November (mean=16, 22.2%)
and August (mean=13, 18.1%). The
least number of reported injuries were
reported during the months of
September (mean=7, 9.7%) and October
(mean=7, 9.7%). 

Sick Days for Occupational Injuries
The mean number of sick days off work
for occupational injuries was 2.9 days
(SD=2.9) with a range of 0-15 days. A
t-test suggested a significant difference
(t=-3.02, p=0.00) between the mean
number of sick days taken off work for
occupational injuries between males
(mean=3.7, SD=3.47) and females
(mean=1.7, SD=1.05). No significant
correlation (p=0.13) was found between
the age of employee and the number of
sick days taken off work for occupa-
tional injuries.

DISCUSSION
The incidence of injury at this specific
beverage company was high. Similar
finding have been reported in other stu-
dies (Beaton et al., 2000; Evanoff et al.,
2002; Fulton-Kehoe et al., 2000). An
association was found between injury
and gender, with males sustaining more

injuries. Interestingly, this implies that
occupational tasks in males might lead
to more problems than previously esti-
mated. However, important differences
in working patterns of the different 
genders were not explored in this study.
A further study evaluating gender on job
tenure, physical job demands, chronicity
of injury, job satisfaction and income
will provide a more accurate account. 

Most of the injuries were as a result
of incorrect lifting of manual materials
and is consistently reported in the lite-
rature as a common mechanism of injury
(Cromie et al., 2000; Molumphy et al.,
1985). It is possible that employees are
not adequately trained in the correct
techniques of manual lifting. Some 
studies (Carrivick et al., 2005; Evanoff
et al., 2003) have associated incorrect
manual materials lifting with low back
pain. More training, particularly in the
area of correct manual lifting, is recom-
mended. 

In this study, as with other studies
(Amick et al., 2005; Harisingham et al.,
2004) poor postures at workstations was
reported as a common mechanism of
injury. If incorrect body postures are
used at the workstation, such as exces-
sive bending and twisting, to complete
tasks then this can be a significant factor
contributing to injury. Robinson et al.,
(1997) believes that the role of the 
occupational physical therapist is funda-
mental in giving appropriate advice and
instructions on good working postures. 

Repetitive strains, bruising and lace-
rations were reported as the most 
common types of injury which is also
consistent with previous studies (Dufort
et al., 1997; Lassen et al., 2005; Taylor
et al., 2004). Most repetitive strain
injuries can be prevented by adequate
health promotion and injury prevention
strategies. Health professionals must
identify employees involved with repe-
titive movements and provide specific
advice to avoid the repetition. Descatha
et al., (2004) recommends modifying
the repetitive task to allow for more 
beneficial working postures. Lowery et al.,
(1998) suggests reallocating employees
to lighter duties following discomfort
during repetitive movements. 

As in previous studies (Ferguson et al.,
2005; Gross and Battie, 2005; Rugulies
and Krause 2005), most of the injuries
were to the spine/trunk with the back

and neck being the most frequently
injured regions reported by employees
of which medical care was sought. LBP
has been acknowledged as a major 
occupational health problem and is asso-
ciated with a high incidence both in this
study and worldwide (Bardin, 2003). In
developed countries like the USA and
Canada, LBP has been identified as the
most frequent cause of disability among
the workforce (Mierzejewski and Kumar,
1997). 

Employees that are involved with the
lifting of heavy objects are particularly
at risk of developing lower back pain.
The anatomical pathology of LBP is of 
a multi-factorial aetiology. This places
enormous costs on the occupational
health care budget of which the
providers of health care, occupational
physiotherapists in particular, are
becoming increasingly accountable for
the standards of care and the prevention
of recurrence. It is suggested that a valid
approach to the measurement of LBP be
designed so that occupational physio-
therapists can systematically document
the outcome of the clinical interventions
applied and compare these results
against any significant changes of future
interventions (Bardin, 2002)

The upper limb and spine/trunk
accounted for permanent injuries. The
upper limbs are consistently reported as
the most vulnerable site for permanent
injuries (Lassen et al., 2005; Mell et al.,
2005) due to the functional role they 
frequently play in manipulative skills.
As such, it is likely that serious injury
does develop as a result of accidents and
cumulative trauma or other factors lead-
ing to serious or permanent injury. 

Most of the injuries were sustained
towards the end of the year. Due to the
fact that the workload at this specific
beverage company is higher towards the
end of the year and most of the staff are
on vacation leave, it is likely that more
accidents and injuries tend to occur.

Furthermore, according to the guest
book records employees bring more 
relatives to the company at the end of the
year, especially during the festive season,
than on any other part of the year. With
factors such as the increase in work-
load and the distraction of the relatives 
(children included), it is likely that there
would be an increase in injuries, accidents
and even loss of production time. 



SA JOURNAL OF PHYSIOTHERAPY 2007 VOL 63 NO 1          31

Although senior management at this
specific beverage company has the right
to expect a satisfactory level of job per-
formance from all employees, this must
be achieved without compromising their
health and safety. Therefore if risk con-
trol measures are not strictly enforced
then this company could face increased
expenditure to control the incidence of
injuries that may occur during this part
of the year.

There was a significant difference
between the mean number of days taken
off work as sick leave for occupational
injuries between males and females.
Lowery et al., (2000) reported similar
findings. The lack of correlation
between the age of employee and the
number of sick days taken off work for
occupational injuries indicate that senior
management must give equal attention
to both young and older employees in
developing programmes to promote
health and prevent injury.

CONCLUSION
In summary, incorrect manual materials
lifting was the most frequent mechanism
of injury reported. Repetitive strain
injuries were the most common type of
injury reported. The most frequently
injured anatomical sites were the back
and neck regions. Most of the injuries
were sustained during the month of
December. 

Occupational physiotherapists must
become more proactive in work condition-
ing and work hardening programmes and
implement aggressive health promotion
and injury prevention strategies to reduce
the burden of injuries at this specific
beverage manufacturing company.

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