Risk factors for work-related injuries among university student employees.

This study identified contributing risk factors in the occurrence of work-related injuries among university students employed at a single university. Four hundred seventy-six student employees completed the survey in March 2010. The majority of respondents were female (66%) and the average age of all respondents was 20.7 yr. A pre-validated survey instrument was taken from the Youth Employment and School Study (YESS) and contained scales for the risk factors of interest. Results show significant differences in the amount of work-school conflict, boredom, workplace hazards, and workload between injured and non-injured groups. Odds ratios show that physical hazards and heavy workload have a significant two-fold increase on the likelihood of 1-3 injuries (OR=1.80, 1.09-3.00; OR=1.72, 1.12-2.60), and a 2 to 3 fold increase in 4 or more injuries (OR=2.94, 1.65-5.24; OR=2.34,1.51-3.64). Good supervisor relations appear to reduce injury risk (OR=0.48, 0.25-0.91; OR=0.59, 0.32-1.09). Reducing workload stress, teaching students how to manage the workload, reducing exposure to physical hazards, and providing examples of standard work practices may reduce the number of injuries seen in the population.