The cement industry is one of the most vital industries for the Egyptian economy, and occupational injuries constitute a major health problem for the working population. Burn injuries in the cement industry are among the main causes of economic loss to the country. This retrospective study of the period from 1991 to 1995 was conducted throughout the year 1995. The aims of the work were to determine the incidence and causes of burn accidents and the financial loss due to absence from work and to the cost of treatment and to define primary preventive measures against this type of burn. The mean annual number of factory workers in the 5-yr period period was 3200. The total number of burn accidents was 155. Most of the burn accidents occurred in the production department. The commonest cause of burn was contact with hot clinker or cement powder. The ankles and feet were the commonest parts of the body to be affected by burn, followed by the hands and wrists, and the head and neck. The total number of working days lost due to burns over the five years was 4776, with a mean of 31.0 ± 30.8 days per case. Despite the lack of specific training programmes and insufficient protective measures, the decreasing incidence of burn accidents towards the end of the period of study is a good sign that the factory authorities have become more aware of the importance of reducing the number of these catastrophic accidents.

The cement industry is one of the most vital industries for the Egyptian economy, and occupational injuries constitute a major health problem for the working population. Burn injuries in the cement industry are among the main causes of economic loss to the country. This retrospective study of the period from 1991 to 1995 was conducted throughout the year 1995. The aims of the work were to determine the incidence and causes of burn accidents and the financial loss due to absence from work and to the cost of treatment and to define primary preventive measures against this type of burn. The mean annual number of factory workers in the 5-yr period period was 3200. The total number of burn accidents was 155. Most of the burn accidents occurred in the production department. The commonest cause of burn was contact with hot clinker or cement powder. The ankles and feet were the commonest parts of the body to be affected by burn, followed by the hands and wrists, and the head and neck. The total number of working days lost due to burns over the five years was 4776, with a mean of 31.0 ± 30.8 days per case. Despite the lack of specific training programmes and insufficient protective measures, the decreasing incidence of burn accidents towards the end of the period of study is a good sign that the factory authorities have become more aware of the importance of reducing the number of these catastrophic accidents.

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