Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (5)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Bricknell, M. C .M.
Right arrow Articles by Yore, M. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Bricknell, M. C .M.
Right arrow Articles by Yore, M. M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Occupational Medicine 1999;49:139-145
© 1999 Society of Occupational Medicine

research-article

What is the risk associated with being a qualified military parachutist?

M. C .M. Bricknell, Major*,, P. J. Amoroso, Lieutenant Colonel{dagger} and M. M. Yore{dagger}

*23 Parachute Field Ambulance, Montgomery Lines, Aldershot, Hants GU13 9PU, UK
{dagger} US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine Natick, MA 01760-5007, USA

Military parachuting has been recognized as a hazardous activity since it was first introduced in World War II. Other risks associated with military service include actual war-fighting, training with weapons and explosives, operating with armoured vehicles or deployment to climatic extremes. These other hazards should be considered in any assessment of the additional risk associated with military parachuting. The aim of this study was to identify the risk attributable to parachuting amongst US Army enlisted soldiers. This study identified a cohort of infantry soldiers who served between 1990–94. They were separated by receipt of parachute hazardous duty pay. There was a total of 329,794 person-years (PY) available for study of which 18% were in the exposed group. The rate of hospitalization was very similar in both groups [123.9 per 1,000 PYs for the exposed group, 127 in the non-exposed group: relative risk (RR)=0.98, 95% confidence interval (Cl)=0.96–1.00). The exposed group was 1.49 times (Cl=1.42–1.57) more likely to be admitted as a result of an injury as compared with the non-exposed group. Military parachuting was 20 times (Cl=16.6–24.3) more likely to be the cause of an injury. This study has shown that receipt of hazardous duty pay for military parachuting can be used as a marker in identifying significant additional risks to the health of infantry soldiers associated with military parachuting. This was reflected in an increased incidence of admission for acute injury and musculoskeletal trauma (particularly a trauma pattern associated with parachuting) as a result of military parachuting. Other risks, which are associated with parachute pay, are admission for the effects of heat, battle injury and helicopter accidents.

Keywords      Military; occupational health; parachuting

Received       26 January 1998
Accepted       18 June 1998

Correspondence and reprint requests to: Dr M. C. M. Bricknell, 53 Albany Road, Fleet, Hants GU13 9PU, UK. Tel: (+44) 1252 624389


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Inj. Prev.Home page
N S Bell, P J Amoroso, D H Wegman, and L Senier
Proposed explanations for excess injury among veterans of the Persian Gulf War and a call for greater attention from policymakers and researchers
Inj. Prev., March 1, 2001; 7(1): 4 - 9.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.