Many handicapped men and women have ample abilities to function in the competitive labor market. The Employment and Vocational Training Administration (EVTA) of Taiwan had significantly improved the employment rate of the handicapped workers with the quota systems, job counseling,job matching, and vocational training. Handicapped workers are suspected, however, to have elevated risk for occupational injury. Very few researches discuss work-related injury for handicapped workers. The only large scale study in the United States showed that workers with disabilities, especially sensory impairments, appear to have an elevated risk for occupational injury. Soukup questioned their research finding since the sample of handicapped workers (especially the deaf population) was limited, and handicapped workers are not reasonably accommodated as suggested by ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act). Nevertheless, Zwerling et al's study is a good start. It reminds vocational counselors and researchers that safety is an important issue in particular when handicapped workers are left alone in the workplace. Almost all workers (including handicapped and non-handicapped) are subjected to work-related injury, such as caught between or clamped by power driven machinery or falling from height.An injured worker could be a handicapped or a non-handicapped. The current study investigated occupational risk of handicapped workers with non-handicapped workers and used standardized mortality ratio to reveal that handicapped workers were at elevated risk for occupational injury.
展开▼
