Descriptive analysis of work and non-work related motor vehicle collisions in Kingston, Ontario.

Objective: To determine the proportion of MVC injuries occurring while working, and to compare the age, sex, injury, and season the collision occurred between those involved in work and non-work related MVCs.

Methods: The Kingston and Region Injury Surveillance Program (KRISP), a subset of the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program, was used to identify MVCs occurring between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2007. Variables analyzed included the characteristics of the injured patient, the type of injury, and factors associated with the collision. Descriptive statistics were computed and a non-parametric test for trend was calculated.

Results: Work-related MVC injuries accounted for 4.6% of all MVC injuries reported in the KRISP database. Work-related MVCs occurred with greater frequency in winter months and injured more males than females compared to non-work related MVCs. Pattern of injury differed among males and patient disposition differed among both males and females.

Conclusions: There are important differences in terms of patient demographics and factors associated with the collision between those injured in work and non-work related MVCs.