Comparative analyses of workers' compensation claims of injury among temporary and permanent employed workers in Ohio.

BACKGROUND: A small but increasing number of studies have examined the risk of injury among temporary workers compared to that among workers in permanent employer arrangements. The purpose of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis of injury risk among temporary and permanent employer workers using a large dataset of workers' compensation (WC) claims of injury. METHODS: Over 1.3 million accepted WC claims in Ohio during the years 2001 to 2013 were analyzed, including 45 046 claims from workers employed by temporary services agencies. General descriptive statistics, injury rates and rate ratios (temporary to permanent workers) were calculated by injury type and event, industry group, and industry manual classes. RESULTS: Injured temporary workers were younger and had less tenure compared to injured permanent workers. Temporary workers had higher injury rates, and lower lost-time and medical costs. Differences in injury rates between temporary and permanent workers varied by injury event, industry, and manual class. CONCLUSION: Temporary workers had higher overall injury rates than permanent workers, controlling for industry manual class. These differences were pronounced for certain industries and injury events. We were not able to control for age and tenure of the worker, so it is not clear how these factors affected observed results. These findings were mostly similar to those from other studies using WC data from the states of Washington and Illinois. Together, these studies provide insights to improve injury prevention among temporary workers, however, additional research is still needed to improve safety and health programming for this group of workers.

Workers' compensation claims for traumatic brain injuries among private employers-Ohio, 2001-2011.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this analysis was to identify and prioritize high-risk industry groups for traumatic brain injury (TBI) prevention efforts. METHODS: Workers with TBI from 2001 to 2011 were identified from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation data. To prioritize industry groups by claim type (lost-time (≥8 days away from work) and total claims) and injury event categories, we used a prevention index (PI) that averaged TBI counts and rate ranks (PI = (count rank + rate rank)/2). TBI rates per 10 000 estimated full-time equivalent (FTE = 2000 h/y) workers were calculated. RESULTS: From 2001 to 2011, 12 891 TBIs were identified among private employers, resulting in a rate of 5.1 TBIs per 10 000 FTEs. Of these, 40% (n = 5171) were lost-time TBIs, at a rate of 2.0 per 10 000 FTEs. Spectator Sports had the highest lost-time TBI rate (13.5 per 10 000 FTEs), whereas General Freight Trucking had the greatest number of lost-time TBIs (n = 293). Based on PIs, General Freight Trucking ranked first for lost-time TBIs for all injury events combined. Several industry groups within Construction, General and Specialized Freight Trucking, Services to Building and Dwellings, Employment Services, and Restaurants and Other Eating Places ranked high across multiple injury event categories for lost-time TBIs. CONCLUSIONS: The high-ranking industry groups identified from our study can be used to effectively direct occupational TBI prevention efforts.

Workers' compensation injury claims among workers in the private ambulance services industry-Ohio, 2001-2011.

BACKGROUND: Ambulance service workers frequently transfer and transport patients. These tasks involve occupational injury risks such as heavy lifting, awkward postures, and frequent motor vehicle travel. METHODS: We examined Ohio workers' compensation injury claims among state-insured ambulance service workers working for private employers from 2001 to 2011. Injury claim counts and rates are presented by claim types, diagnoses, and injury events; only counts are available by worker characteristics. RESULTS: We analyzed a total of 5882 claims. The majority were medical-only (<8 days away from work). The overall injury claim rate for medical-only and lost-time cases was 12.1 per 100 full-time equivalents. Sprains and strains accounted for 60% of all injury claims. Overexertion from patient handling was the leading injury event, followed by motor vehicle roadway incidents. CONCLUSIONS: Study results can guide the development or improvement of injury prevention strategies. Focused efforts related to patient handling and vehicle incidents are needed.

Development of methods for using workers' compensation data for surveillance and prevention of occupational injuries among State-insured private employers in Ohio.

BACKGROUND: Workers' compensation (WC) claims data may be useful for identifying high-risk industries and developing prevention strategies. METHODS: WC claims data from private-industry employers insured by the Ohio state-based workers' compensation carrier from 2001 to 2011 were linked with the state's unemployment insurance (UI) data on the employer's industry and number of employees. National Labor Productivity and Costs survey data were used to adjust UI data and estimate full-time equivalents (FTE). Rates of WC claims per 100 FTE were computed and Poisson regression was used to evaluate differences in rates. RESULTS: Most industries showed substantial claim count and rate reductions from 2001 to 2008, followed by a leveling or slight increase in claim count and rate from 2009 to 2011. Despite reductions, there were industry groups that had consistently higher rates. CONCLUSION: WC claims data linked to employment data could be used to prioritize industries for injury research and prevention activities among State-insured private employers. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:1087-1104, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The effectiveness of insurer-supported safety and health engineering controls in reducing workers' compensation claims and costs.

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: Pre- and 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 lost-time 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% post-intervention. 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.

Degree of Integration Between Occupational Safety and Health Programs and Wellness Programs: First-year Results From an Insurer-Sponsored Wellness Grant for Smaller Employers.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe levels of integration between occupational safety and health (OSH) and workplace wellness programs/practices/policies ("programs") among participants in an insurer-sponsored wellness grant program. METHODS: We analyzed survey responses about year 1 of an insurer-sponsored grant to start a wellness program from 220 small- and medium-sized employers. Responses yielded 25 indicators of OSH-wellness integration, and 10 additional indicators to summarize multiple responses. RESULTS: At least half of the employers (N = 220) reported some level of integration within five of seven categories of OSH-wellness integration. Employers sometimes considered ergonomics, safety, or substance exposure hazards while designing their wellness program (15%) or reduced such hazards to support their wellness program (24%). Few meaningful differences were observed by employer size. CONCLUSIONS: Although high levels of integration were unusual, some degree of integration was common for most indicator categories.

Applying Machine Learning to Workers' Compensation Data to Identify Industry-Specific Ergonomic and Safety Prevention Priorities: Ohio, 2001 to 2011.

OBJECTIVE: This study leveraged a state workers' compensation claims database and machine learning techniques to target prevention efforts by injury causation and industry. METHODS: Injury causation auto-coding methods were developed to code more than 1.2 million Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation claims for this study. Industry groups were ranked for soft-tissue musculoskeletal claims that may have been preventable with biomechanical ergonomic (ERGO) or slip/trip/fall (STF) interventions. RESULTS: On the basis of the average of claim count and rate ranks for more than 200 industry groups, Skilled Nursing Facilities (ERGO) and General Freight Trucking (STF) were the highest risk for lost-time claims (>7 days). CONCLUSION: This study created a third, major causation-specific U.S. occupational injury surveillance system. These findings are being used to focus prevention resources on specific occupational injury types in specific industry groups, especially in Ohio. Other state bureaus or insurers may use similar methods.