Three is the magic number

Journal of Safety Research, 2021

Introduction:This study analyzed workers’ compensation (WC) claims among private employers insured by the Ohio state-based WC carrier to identity high-risk industries by detailed cause of injury.Methods:A machine learning algorithm was used to code each claim by US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) event/exposure. The codes assigned to lost-time (LT) claims with lower algorithm probabilities of accurate classification or those LT claims with high costs were manually reviewed. WC data were linked with the state’s unemployment insurance (UI) data to identify the employer’s industry and number of employees. BLS data on hours worked per employee were used to estimate full-time equivalents (FTE) and calculate rates of WC claims per 100 FTE.Results:140,780 LT claims and 633,373 medical-only claims were analyzed. Although counts and rates of LT WC claims declined from 2007-2017, the shares of leading LT injury event/exposures remained largely unchanged. LT claims due to Overexertion and Bodily Reaction (33.0%) were most common, followed by Falls, Slips, and Trips (31.4%), Contact with Objects and Equipment (22.5%), Transportation Incidents (7.0%), Exposure to Harmful Substances or Environments (2.8%), Violence and Other Injuries by Persons or Animals (2.5%), and Fires and Explosions (0.4%). These findings are consistent with other reported data. The proportions of injury event/exposures varied by industry, and high-risk industries were identified.Conclusions:Injuries have been reduced, but prevention challenges remain in certain industries. Available evidence on intervention effectiveness was summarized and mapped to the analysis results to demonstrate how the results can guide prevention efforts.Practical Applications:Employers, safety/health practitioners, researchers, WC insurers and bureaus can use these data and machine learning methods to understand industry differences in the level and mix of risks, as well as industry trends, and to tailor safety, health, and disability prevention services and research.

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2014

Objective: To determine which work-related injuries are the most frequent and costly. Design: Secondary analysis of workers' compensation claims data. Setting: Data were provided by a large, Maryland workers' compensation insurer from 1998 through 2008. Participants: Not applicable. Interventions: None. Main Outcomes Measures: For 45 injury types, the number of claims and compensation amount was calculated for total compensation and for medical and indemnity compensation separately. Results: Back and knee injuries were the most frequently occurring single injury types, whereas heart attack and occupational disease were the most expensive in terms of mean compensation. When taking into account both the frequency and cost of injury (mean cost  number occurrences), back, knee, and shoulder injuries were the most expensive single injury types. Conclusions: Successful prevention and management of back, knee, and shoulder injuries could lead to a substantial reduction in the burden associated with work-related injuries.

Journal of Safety Research, 1997

Injuries both on the job and off cost employers about $200 billion annually, or $1,700 per employee. Injuries to workers and their families generate an estimated 29% of employers' health-related fringe-benefit costs, including 19% of health-care costs and 46% of disability costs. Occupational injuries cost employers around $155 billion, three-fourths of the total, and over $1,400 per injury. Non-work injuries cause one-fourth of employer injury costs and 42% of injury fringe-benefit costs. Annually they cost employers $45 billion, or $380 per employee. Highway crashes cost employers $56 billion per year-$38 billion from occupational crash injuries, $15 billion from off-the-job crash injuries to employees and their families, and over $3 billion in property damage and repair costs. Highway crash injuries account for nearly one-fourth of occupational injury costs to employers. Occupational crashes cost employers $80,000 per million vehicle-miles of travel, or $23,000 per crash. 0 1997 National Safety Council and

Background-This study evaluated the effectiveness of a program in which a workers' compensation (WC) insurer provided matching funds to insured employers to implement safety/ health engineering controls. Methods-Preand post-intervention WC metrics were compiled for the employees designated as affected by the interventions within 468 employers for interventions occurring from 2003 to 2009. Poisson, two-part, and linear regression models with repeated measures were used to evaluate differences in pre-and post-data, controlling for time trends independent of the interventions. Results-For affected employees, total WC claim frequency rates (both medical-only and losttime claims) decreased 66%, lost-time WC claim frequency rates decreased 78%, WC paid cost per employee decreased 81%, and WC geometric mean paid claim cost decreased 30% postintervention. Reductions varied by employer size, specific industry, and intervention type. Conclusions-The insurer-supported safety/health engineering control program was effective in reducing WC claims and costs for affected employees.

American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2019

BackgroundFew studies investigate the influence of body part injured and industry on future workers’ compensation claims.MethodsUsing claims incurred January 1, 2005 – July 31, 2015 (n=77,494) from the largest workers’ compensation insurer in Colorado, we assessed associations between worker characteristics, second claims involving any body part and the same body part. We utilized Cox proportional hazards models to approximate probability of a second claim.ResultsFirst claims represented 74.9% (n=58,007) and second claims 25.2% (n=19,487) of total claims. Gender, age, industry, and body part of first claim were associated with probability of second claims and body part affected. The five-year probabilities of second claims and same body part second claims were 27.0% (95% CI: 26.6%–27.5%) and 6.2% (95% CI: 5.9%–6.5%) in males and 26.5% (95% CI: 26.0%–27.0%) and 6.7% (95% CI: 6.5%–7.0%) in females. Most second claims occurred within three years.ConclusionsMost second claims occur within three years. Body part and industry-specific injury patterns suggest missed opportunities for prevention.

NIOSH Pub No. 2014-110, Workers' Compensation Insurance: A Primer for Public Health. Occupational safety and health research and surveillance are essential for the prevention and control of injuries, illnesses and hazards that arise from the workplace. Research and surveillance can fill gaps in knowledge about where hazards exist and what interventions are effective at preventing workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities. Workers’ compensation insurance records are a resource used for these primary prevention purposes. In addition, workers’ compensation records may be used for early detection of health outcomes in populations of workers which is part of secondary prevention. They may also be used to help identify effective medical treatment which is part of tertiary prevention. The primer provides essential information on the workers' compensation insurance industry in the U.S., its records and business practices. Public health researchers may use the information in prepa...

American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2003

The RAND Journal of Economics, 1989

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Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 2004

Occupational research has demonstrated construction to be among the most dangerous of all occupational industries. This study examines 20,680 accepted workers' compensation claims filed by Oregon construction workers over the period of 1990-1997. Injury rate estimates for occupations were calculated using Oregon employment data from the Current Population Survey. The estimated annual rate of lost-time claims was 3.5 per 100 workers annually (95% CI = 2.8 -4.2) with insulators having the highest rate and supervisors the lowest. The majority of claims, 3,940, were filed by laborers. Over 52% of all claims were filed by workers under 35 years of age, and over half the claimants had less than 1 year of tenure at the time of injury. There were 52 fatalities reported, representing a rate of 8.5 per 100,000 workers (95% CI = 8.1-8.9), of which 32.7% resulted from falls. The most frequently recorded nature of non-fatal injury was listed as a "sprain," and the most common body part injured was the back. The total costs of all claims was $208,537,120, averaging $10,084 per claim, and the average indemnity time per injury was 57.3 days, with female claimants having longer indemnity periods than males. The highest percentage of claims on weekdays occurred on Mondays (21.5%), and subsequent analysis showed the highest odds ratio for time of accident, relative to the first hour on the job, occurred on the third hour of work (OR = 2.456, 95% CI = 2.452-2.460).