Understanding occupational injuries among non-residents in Europe: evidence from the EU-IDB

Abstract Background Occupational injuries (OI) -resulting from exposure to various workplace hazards- among non-resident populations are a significant but underexplored public health issue and are poorly captured in national injury surveillance systems. Methods We analyzed emergency department (ED) OI data from the European Injury Database (EU-IDB), during 2018-2022, identifying non-resident cases through the “Country of Permanent Residence” field. OI were defined as unintentional injuries sustained during paid work activities. Results From the EU-IDB databank, 315,063 ED cases of OI (mean age 37.9 years; SD ± 13.2) were identified (77.5% involving males). Of all cases, 17,501 (5.6%) involved non-residents in the country where treatment was received. The proportion of OI among non-residents was higher in males than females (6.0% vs. 4.4%), with comparable mean age (37.4 vs. 37.5 years, p = 0.64). Hospitalization occurred in 9.3% of non-resident cases, with a higher rate in males (10.1% vs 5.1%). The mean length of stay was 7.1 days, with no significant sex-based difference (M: 7.1; F: 7.4, p = 0.76). Injury patterns varied by sex: the most frequent OI in males were open wounds (31.9%), contusions (24.2%), and fractures (14.9%), while females most sustained contusions (31.0%), open wounds (19.3%), and distortions (15.3%). Hands and fingers were the most affected body parts in both sexes (M: 30.7%; F: 25.7%). Males also frequently injured the eye area (7.6%), while females more often injured the ankle (9.7%). Occupational sector patterns showed that 47.5% of injuries among non-resident males occurred in construction, while for non-resident female 29.0% in health care, trade and education sectors. Conclusions The IDB-FDS offers valuable insight into occupational risks faced by non-residents. Gender and sector-specific injury trends highlight the need for improved surveillance systems that include migration and employment data to better inform targeted prevention efforts.