[Role of a surveillance system developed by the Viareggio Local Health Unit in injury prevention].

Background: Statistics on occupational injuries published by INVAIL (National Insurance Institute for Occupational Accidents and Diseases) are not useful to plan appropriate preventive actions in local manufacturing sectors.

Methods: The injury surveillance system, developed by Viareggio Local Health Unit, collects data on all occupational injuries that occurred in the Versilia area, by enterprise, worksite and manufacturing sector. Enterprises operating in particular sectors (e.g. shipyards, construction) are classified differently than in the national injury surveillance system. After trend analysis and interpretation of injury data, the main results are available both in electronic and paper format.

Results And Conclusions: Surveillance data are used by the Local Health Unit to promote and formulate specific preventive actions, such as: research and development of safer tools, promotion and control of safer use of specific tools, promotion and enforcement of good practices, control programmes in high risk manufacturing sectors and jobs.