Table 1 Demographic and occupational characteristics of currently self‐employed and employed ECRHS II participants working in metalworking, soldering and welding jobs.
| Self‐employed (n = 72) | Employed (n = 371) | |
|---|---|---|
| n (%) | n (%) | |
| Demographic characteristics | ||
| Age (years) | ||
| Mean (SD) | 42.8 (7.36) | 42.2 (7.05) |
| Median | 41.8 | 41.7 |
| Minimum–maximum | 29.0–54.2 | 28.8–55.5 |
| Age at completion of full‐time education (years) | ||
| Mean (SD) | 19.7 (5.80) | 19.3 (4.81) |
| Median | 18 | 18 |
| Minimum–maximum | 10–50 | 8–46 |
| Sex | ||
| Female | 6 (8.3%) | 34 (9.2%) |
| Male | 66 (91.7%) | 337 (90.8%) |
| Smoking status | ||
| Current smoker | 24 (33.3%) | 113 (30.5%) |
| Ex‐smoker | 21 (29.2%) | 121 (32.6%) |
| Lifetime non‐smoker | 27 (37.5%) | 137 (36.9%) |
| Occupational characteristics | ||
| Number of occupations (metalworking, soldering, welding) per individual | ||
| 1 | 44 (61.1%) | 238 (64.2%) |
| 2 | 16 (22.2%) | 93 (25.1%) |
| 3 | 12 (16.7%) | 40 (10.8%) |
| Metalworking (days/week) | ||
| <1 | 4 (10.3%) | 28 (12.6%) |
| 1–3 | 8 (20.5%) | 27 (12.2%) |
| 4–7 | 27 (69.2%) | 167 (75.2%) |
| Total | 39 (54.2%) | 222 (59.8%) |
| Soldering (days/week) | ||
| <1 | 19 (54.3%) | 107 (66.9%) |
| 1–3 | 9 (25.7%) | 31 (19.4%) |
| 4–7 | 7 (20.0%) | 22 (13.8%) |
| Total | 35 (48.6%) | 160 (43.1%) |
| Welding (days/week) | ||
| <1 | 19 (50.0%) | 81 (50.0%) |
| 1–3 | 13 (34.2%) | 35 (21.6%) |
| 4–7 | 6 (16.8%) | 46 (28.4%) |
| Total | 38 (52.8%) | 162 (43.7%) |