Objective: To explore the degree to which occupational burn severity depends upon sex, considering alternative potential explanations such as industry and type of abnormal energy exchange (i.e., chemical, electrical, radiation). This thesis addresses the gaps in epidemiological evidence with respect to the determinants of female-male variations among adult workers and addresses the occurrence of occupational burns in adult female and male workers across a range of industry subtypes. Study Design: We examine a study population that includes all workers, 18 years of age and older, in the State of Michigan between 2009 and 2019. The burn ascertainment is based on what is reported to the Michigan Surveillance Data of Burns database maintained by Michigan State University’s Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. A total of 10,572 occupation-related burns were analyzed. Burn severity, as assessed by the treating physician, was classified by the depth of the burn, or burn degree. Sex was based on the case’s medical record. A robust Poisson regression model was used to estimate the sex-specific burn and burn severity occurrence ratios with a 95% confidence interval. Model-based covariate adjustments considered age, race, type of burn injury, and industry of the worker. Results: Males had excess of 2nd or 3rd/4th-degree burns, with an occurrence ratio estimate of 1.15 (95% confidence interval, CI=1.12, 1.19). The association's point estimate for 3rd-degree (severe burn) relative to non-severe burns was larger (2.1, CI=1.6, 2.7). The main result of this study indicates that males experience more severe work-related burns as compared to females, even after covariate adjustment. Excess burn occurrence is seen in the Accommodations and Food Service industry type. This study has limitations as reviewed in the Discussion section. Notwithstanding these limitations, this thesis’ results confirm the female-male variation in the occurrence of occupational burns and extend our understanding of burn occurrence across industry subtypes. Males in the state of Michigan experience more burns of a higher degree than females and these differences might be a result of occupational variation between the two sexes.
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