Informal work-related injuries: a one year prospective study in a rural community in Serbia

ABSTRACT

Work-related injuries occurring during informal work often go unreported, yet lead to significant mortality and contribute substantially to disease burden due to injury-related disability. In Serbia, injury is a leading cause of death, with work-related injuries comprising a significant proportion. This study explored the frequency of and risk factors for these injuries in a rural Serbian community. During the 12-month study period, physicians from a municipal Primary Care Centre reported all presenting injuries using a specific injury report form. One in four injuries reported occurred during informal work practices, accounting for 71% of all reported work-related injuries. These occurred within the household in 85% of cases, and were more severe in males (79%). Regarding work-related injuries, informal workers were significantly older than formally employed workers, regardless of sex. Public policy should address safety improvements for informal workers, via provision of relevant training and protective equipment.

KEYWORDS:

• Work-related injuries
• injury-related disability
• informal employment
• public health policy
• accident prevention

Acknowledgments

This project was part of the WHO Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability (VIP) Programme (but did not receive funding).

The authors would like to thank Ms Claire McLellan, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Institute for Global Health and Development, for language and grammar editing.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.