Assuntos
Doenças Profissionais/epidemiologia , Traumatismos Ocupacionais/epidemiologia , Vigilância em Saúde Pública/métodos , Humanos , Incidência , Doenças Profissionais/diagnóstico , Doenças Profissionais/economia , Traumatismos Ocupacionais/diagnóstico , Traumatismos Ocupacionais/economia , Estados Unidos/epidemiologia , Indenização aos Trabalhadores/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Examine uses of US workers' compensation (WC) data for occupational safety and health purposes. METHODS: This article is a summary of the proceedings from an invitational workshop held in September 2009 to discuss the use of WC data for occupational safety and health prevention purposes. RESULTS: Workers' compensation data systems, although limited in many ways, contain information such as medical treatments, their costs and outcomes, and disability causes that are unavailable from national occupational surveillance sources. CONCLUSIONS: Despite their limitations, WC records are collected in a manner consistent with many occupational health and safety surveillance needs. Reports are available on the use of WC data for surveillance and research purposes such as estimating the frequency, magnitude, severity, and cost of compensated injuries. Inconsistencies in WC data can limit generalization of research results.
Assuntos
Saúde Ocupacional/estatística & dados numéricos , Gestão da Segurança/métodos , Indenização aos Trabalhadores/estatística & dados numéricos , Congressos como Assunto , Humanos , Saúde Ocupacional/economia , Indenização aos Trabalhadores/economiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that many persons with disabilities caused by work do not receive workers' compensation benefits. METHODS: Data from surveys of persons with disabilities were used to estimate the proportion of disability due to work-related injuries and diseases. Studies examining the proportion of workers with work-related disability who received workers' compensation benefits were reviewed. Legal and other factors explaining the lack of receipt of workers' compensation benefits were examined. RESULTS: Many workers with disabilities caused by work do not receive workers' compensation benefits. The obstacles to compensation include increasingly restrictive rules for compensability in many state workers' compensation programs. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of persons with work-related disabilities do not receive workers' compensation benefits. The solutions to this problem, such as providing healthcare to workers regardless of the source of injuries or diseases, are complicated and controversial, and will be difficult to implement.