Causal factors of work-related chemical eye injuries reported to the Dutch Poisons Information Center

This study investigated the circumstances of chemical occupational eye exposures reported to the Dutch Poisons Information Center. During a 1-year prospective study, data were collected through a telephone survey of 132 victims of acute occupational eye exposure. Victims were often exposed to industrial products (35%) or cleaning products (27%). Most patients developed no or mild symptoms. Organizational factors (such as lack of work instructions (52%)), and personal factors (such as time pressure and fatigue (50%), and not adequately using personal protective equipment (PPE, 14%), were the main causes of occupational eye exposures. Exposure often occurred during cleaning activities (34%) and personal factors were reported more often during cleaning (67%) than during other work activities (41%). Data from Poison Control Centers are a valuable source of information, enabling the identification of risk factors for chemical occupational eye exposure. This study shows that personal factors like time pressure and fatigue play a significant role, although personal factors may be related to organizational issues such as poor communication. Therefore, risk mitigation strategies should focus on technical, organizational, and personal factors. The need to follow work instructions and proper use of PPE should also have a prominent place in the education and training of workers.

本研究针对报送至荷兰毒物信息中心的职业性化学性眼部暴露事件展开调查。在为期1年的前瞻性研究周期内，研究人员通过电话访谈收集了132例急性职业性眼部暴露受害者的相关数据。受害者多因工业产品（35%）或清洁用品（27%）暴露致病，多数患者未出现明显症状或仅表现为轻症。组织类因素（如缺乏作业指导书，占比52%）与个人类因素（如时间压力与疲劳，占比50%；未正确使用个人防护装备（PPE），占比14%）是职业性眼部暴露的主要诱因。暴露事件多发生于清洁作业期间（34%），且清洁作业场景中报告的个人因素占比（67%）高于其他作业场景（41%）。毒物控制中心的相关数据是极具价值的信息来源，可助力识别职业性化学性眼部暴露的风险因素。本研究表明，时间压力与疲劳等个人因素发挥着显著作用，尽管此类个人因素可能与沟通不畅等组织类问题存在关联。因此，风险缓解策略应同时兼顾技术、组织与个人三方面因素。在作业人员的教育培训中，遵守作业规程与正确使用个人防护装备的必要性也应占据重要地位。