Psychosocial factors at work and occupational injuries: A prospective study of the general working population in Norway

Background: We examined the effects of psychosocial stressors at work on subsequent injuries, taking into account organizational and mechanical working conditions. Methods: Randomly drawn from the general population, the cohort comprised respondents with an active employee relationship in 2006 and 2009 (n = 6,745). Outcome measure: “Have you, over the past 12 months, afflicted injuries that were caused by an accident at work, and resulting in time off work after the day of the accident?”. Results: High job strain (Odds ratio [OR] 2.31; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16–4.57), high role conflict (OR 3.01; 95% CI 1.70–5.31), and high emotional demands (OR 1.96; 95% CI 1.15–3.35) predicted injury at follow up (P < 0.01). The population risk attributable to each of these factors ranged from 11% to 14%. Conclusions: Excess risk of occupational injuries was attributable to job strain, role conflict, and emotional demands. These factors are potentially amenable to preventive measures.