Profil statistique des affections vertébrales avec indemnités dans l'industrie de la construction au Québec

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RÉSUMÉ Au Québec, en 1995, 1 400 des 6 400 lésions professionnelles survenues dans l’industrie de la construction sont des affections vertébrales. Les manœuvres constituent la profession dont le niveau d’incidence des affections vertébrales est le plus élevé ; suivis par la catégorie des “ autres métiers et occupations ” (ferrailleur, soudeur, homme de service,  etc.) ainsi que par les ferblantiers. Sept scénarios d’accidents sont ressortis des analyses multivariées. Les variables les plus statistiquement significatives pour différencier les scénarios sont, par ordre d’importance, le geste exécuté, le genre d’accident, l’agent causal de la blessure, la tâche effectuée et la profession. Les affections vertébrales sont plus souvent qu’attendu associées à l’exécution de tâches connexes aux tâches qualifiées (manutention, tâche préparatoire ou subséquente à une tâche spécialisée, déplacement). Ces résultats font ressortir l’importance d’orienter la prévention et la recherche sur ce type de tâches effectuées par des manœuvres mais aussi d’autres professions (charpentier-menuisier, travailleur de la finition intérieure,  etc.).

Statistical profile of compensated back injuries in the Quebec construction industry In 1995, 1 400 of the 6 400 work-related injuries that occurred in the construction sector in Quebec, and which were compensated by the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail du Québec (CSST, Quebec Workers’ Compensation Board), were back injuries. The goal of our study was to identify those trades within that sector which were most affected by back injuries and to describe their characteristics. The data analysed comes from CSST administrative files and claim forms, as well as from files of the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ, Quebec Construction Commission). Incidence rates and length of absence were analysed. Furthermore, for all of the compensated back injuries in the construction sector, multivariate statistical analyses were carried out. Nearly half of the subjects in our study were carpenter-joiners (23,4 %), labourers (13,3 %) or electricians (12,5 %). The highest back injury incidence rate occurred among labourers, with more than one quarter of back injuries being compensated ; followed by “ other trades and professions ” (reinforcing steel erectors, welders, servicemen, etc.) and tinsmiths. Back injuries that required the longest average length of absence involved interior finishing workers (152,9 days), carpenters (139,4 days), and crane, heavy equipment and mechanical shovel operators (130,5 days). Seven accident scenarios emerged from the multivariate analyses. In order of importance, the most statistically significant variables for differentiating between the scenarios were movements at the time of the accident, the type of accident, the causal agent for the injury, the task performed, and the trade. The accident scenarios seem to indicate that excessive effort, body reactions related to body movements and, to a lesser extent, falls, were all determining factors in the occurrence of the accident. Back injuries also appear to have been linked more often than was expected to the performance of those tasks related to qualified tasks (handling, preparatory tasks or those undertaken immediately after a specialized task, and movement from one place to another). These results demonstrate the importance of focusing on prevention and research into such tasks performed by labourers as well as by other workers (carpenter-joiners, interior finishing workers, etc.).