Estimating work-related amputations in the Norwegian manufacturing sector: a 10-year retrospective study based on two-source capture-recapture method.

Background: Work-related amputations are serious yet preventable injuries. Workers in the manufacturing sector in particular are vulnerable to amputation injuries compared to workers in other sectors.

Methods: In this study, we used a two-source capture recapture method to estimate the true number of annual work-related amputations in the Norwegian manufacturing sector for a 10-year study period (1998-2007). The two-sources utilized in this study were the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authorities Registry of Work-Related Injuries (RWI) and the Association of Norwegian Private Insurance Companies registry for occupational injuries (ANPIC).

Results: We estimated an annual incidence rate that ranged from 21/100 000 to 62/100 000 workers during the study period. Our findings indicate an undercount of amputations reported to the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority's registry ranging from 16% to 58% during the study period.

Conclusions: Work-related amputations remain a challenge in the Norwegian manufacturing sector. This study underscores the need of robust epidemiological surveillance infrastructure and effective interventions to prevent amputations at work.