Objective To study the characteristics of industry, population and time distributions of 80 acute occupational poisoning accidents in Pudong New Area of Shanghai, to explore the prime causes, and to provide a basis for developing control and prevention strategies.
Methods A retrospective survey was conducted on 80 acute occupational poisoning accidents which occurred between January 1996 and December 2008.
Results A total of 157 victims were identified in these 80 acute occupational poisoning accidents, with 129 males (82.2%) and 28 females (17.8%). The peak annual occurrence (43 accidents) was found in the period of 2003-2005. Sulfureted hydrogen was identified as the most common chemical substance that caused 42 people (26.8%) poisoned and 15 (71.4%) deaths. Of the 80 accidents, 45 (56.3%) occurred from July to September. The common causes of the accidents included protection equipment failure (35.0%), not wearing personal protective equipments (28.7%), and violation of safety operation procedures (18.7%).
Conclusion A comprehensive strategy on safety education and the allocation of safeguards and personal protective equipments should be introduced against the causes of acute occupational poisoning.
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