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This study employed analysis of workers' compensation (WC) claims in the landscaping services industry to identify occupational factors associated with claims from workers of different ages.Private sector claims for 2005 to 2017 to the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (OHBWC) and their free-text descriptions were used along with data from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey to examine rates and types of WC claims by worker age.Although the claim rate for younger workers was higher than that for older workers overall (593 vs 261 per 10,000 full-time equivalent employees, P0.001), claims from older workers had higher nonzero median cost ($1002 vs $522, P0.001).Analysis of WC claim rates shows significant differences between claims in different age groups. These differences can be used to target safety interventions for the greatest impact.

INTRODUCTION: Managing and improving occupational safety and health requires evaluating performance. Organizations are encouraged to use both lagging indicators (such as injury rates and costs) and leading indicators (such as questionnaire-assessed safety hazards and management practices) for this purpose, but the association between types of indicators over time can be complex. Longitudinal data can assist in clarifying these associations and increasing indicator utility. METHOD: Employer data were used to evaluate the reliability and predictive validity of a safety management questionnaire. Employers’ longitudinal questionnaire responses and workers’ compensation (WC) claims data were analyzed using a marginal model with time-dependent covariates. Multivariable Poisson and linear regression analyses with claim rate and logarithmic cost, respectively, as dependent variables were carried out after adjusting for industry sector and size. Questionnaire data were used to evaluate questionnaire scaling properties and to assess generalizability of results. RESULTS: One safety management scale was associated with a better WC outcome as predicted and two scales were unexpectedly associated with poorer WC claim outcomes. Analyses assisted in interpreting the latter results, suggesting that WC outcomes were a stimulus for change in some cases. Twelve hazards assessed on the questionnaire were associated with poorer WC claim outcomes as predicted. CONCLUSIONS: This study extends leading indicator research using longitudinal questionnaire and WC claims data from employers. Analyses provided insight into associations between leading and lagging indicators, emphasizing the importance of both for safety improvement. Safety management questionnaire scales were predictive of WC claim outcomes, although support for hazard assessments as leading indicators was stronger. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This study supports the use of employer-completed hazard assessment questionnaires for targeting and prioritizing improvement efforts. Employer-completed safety management scales may be useful for directing improvement efforts, although the conditions under which they are completed, including submission to insurers, require additional consideration.

This study evaluated the impact of a state workers’ compensation (WC) insurer’s onsite risk control (RC) services on insured employers’ WC claim frequency and cost. METHODS: We used two methods to model 2004 to 2017 claims data from 4606 employers that received RC visits over time and compare this claims experience to matching employers that did not receive RC services. RESULTS: Relative total WC claim rates increased slightly after RC services, while relative lost-time claims rates either remained similar or decreased and WC cost rates decreased. The impact of RC services on reducing WC costs was cumulative up to the fourth visit but diminished thereafter. CONCLUSIONS: The insurer RC consultation program was effective in reducing WC cost rates for serviced employers. This is consistent with other research conducted on insurer RC services and related regulatory visits.

Introduction: This study analyzed workers’ compensation (WC) claims among private employers insured by the Ohio state-based WC carrier to identify high-risk industries by detailed cause of injury. Methods: A machine learning algorithm was used to code each claim by U.S. 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 to 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.

Changing public attitudes about cannabis consumption have currently led 36 U.S. states and the District of Columbia to approve laws that make cannabis available to consumers with qualifying medical conditions. This article reviews the 36 states and the District of Columbia with medical cannabis access laws to determine if the state or the District also allows reimbursement of the costs of cannabis for a work-related health condition under that state's or District's workers' compensation insurance (WCI) laws and administrative regulations. The legal basis for a state allowing or not allowing WCI reimbursement is described. The review found that only six of the 36 states expressly allow cannabis WCI reimbursement, six expressly prohibit it, 14 states do not require reimbursement, and 10 states, and the District of Columbia, are silent on the issue. The article describes the role of the insurer, treating physician, and worker in obtaining WCI reimbursement in the six states that expressly allow cannabis WCI reimbursement. Comparisons are made to how selected Canadian provinces and territories administer cannabis reimbursement under Canada's new national cannabis legalization law. The article discusses the future role of cannabis legalization in the United States and the evolving role of cannabis from an international perspective.

Objective This prospective study assessed the risk of developing rotator cuff syndrome (RCS) with separate or specific combinations of biomechanical exposures measures, controlling for individual confounders. Background Compared with other musculoskeletal disorders, rates of work-related shoulder musculoskeletal disorders have been declining more slowly. Method We conducted up to 2 years of individual, annual assessments of covariates, exposures, and health outcomes for 393 U.S. manufacturing and healthcare workers without RCS at baseline. Task-level biomechanical exposures assessed exposure to forceful exertions (level, exertion rates, duty cycles), vibration, and upper arm postures (flexion, abduction). Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated with Cox proportional hazard models. Results We observed 39 incident RCS cases in 694 person-years (incidence rate = 5.62 per 100 person-years). Adjusting for confounders, we found increased risk of incident RCS associated with forceful hand exertions per minute for three upper arm posture tertiles: flexion ≥45° (≥28.2% time, HR = 1.11, CI [1.01, 1.22]), abduction ≥30° (11.9–21.2%-time, HR = 1.18, CI [1.04, 1.34]), and abduction >60° (≥4.8% time, HR = 1.16, CI [1.04, 1.29]). We failed to observe statistically significant effects for other interactions or any separate measures of biomechanical exposure. Conclusion This study highlights the importance of assessing combinations of exposure to forceful repetition and upper arm elevation when developing interventions for preventing RCS. Application Based on these results, interventions that reduce exposure to forceful repetition (i.e., lower force levels and/or slower exertion rates) may reduce the risk of RCS, especially when upper arm elevation cannot be avoided.

The number of primary total hip and knee replacement surgeries is increasing primarily due to an aging population. There is also a concomitant increase in the number of complications which could be attributed to high variation in arthroplasty techniques, peri-operative methods and the absence of integrated clinical pathways (ICP) to mitigate risks such as surgical site infections (SSIs). The implementation of ICPs incorporating watertight, multi-layer closure could increase the preventative effectiveness against joint prosthetic adverse events. The objective of this review is to describe the ICPs implemented by one US facility to help address ten adverse events synergistically.

The National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) is a research framework for the nation and for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The NORA Musculoskeletal Health Cross-Sector (MUS) Council focuses on the mitigation of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Two projects have been chosen by the MUS Council for disseminating existing information on ergonomic assessment methods and interventions. The first project involves collaboration with the AIHA Ergonomics Committee on the latest update of the AIHA Ergonomic Assessment Toolkit. The second project aims to post all-industry information on ergonomic solutions/interventions/guidelines in collaboration with the International Ergonomics Association (IEA). The MUS Council plans on leveraging the collaborative efforts for promoting widespread adoption of evidence-based workplace practices for the prevention of WMSDs.

Overexertion is a leading cause of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among construction workers. Nearly 90% of construction jobs require manual handling of materials for approximately one half of the worker's time (1). In 2015, overexertion from lifting and lowering materials caused 30% of WMSDs among construction workers; overexertion involving pushing, pulling, holding, carrying, and catching materials caused an additional 37% of WMSDs (1). This study examined the rate and cost of WMSD claims from overexertion among Ohio construction workers during 2007-2017. Workers' compensation claims related to overexertion that were submitted to the Ohio Bureau of Worker's Compensation (OHBWC) by workers in the construction industry for injuries and illnesses occurring during 2007-2017 were analyzed. Rates and costs of allowed claims were measured by age group. Workers aged 35-44 years experienced the highest claim rate: 63 per 10,000 full-time employees (FTEs) for WMSDs from overexertion. However, claims by workers aged 45-54 years and 55-64 years were more costly on average and resulted in more days away from work. Ergonomic design improvements and interventions are needed to ensure that the majority of construction workers can safely perform jobs throughout their careers. Age-specific WMSD prevention and risk communication efforts also might be helpful.

BACKGROUND The landscaping services industry is one of the more dangerous in the United States, with higher rates of both fatal and nonfatal injuries than the all-industry average. This study uses claims from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (OHBWC) database to identify high rates of occupational injuries and illnesses in this industry in Ohio. The causes of those illnesses and injuries are highlighted to identify common factors. METHODS The OHBWC database includes injured-worker industry identification, occupation, business size, demographics, diagnoses, and free-text descriptions of injury circumstances. We identified landscaping service industry claims from 2001 to 2017, and describe annual claim counts and rates. RESULTS Over the 17-year period, 18,037 claims were accepted, with "Struck by object or equipment" and "Overexertion involving outside sources" being the most common events or exposures. Sprains and fractures were the most prevalent of the more serious lost-time (LT) injuries. Free-text descriptions of claims indicate that arborist work and loading/unloading of work vehicles and trailers are particularly hazardous. Younger and shorter-tenured workers were injured most frequently, although the average workers' age was higher for LT claims. The total cost of claims to the OHBWC from the landscaping services industry for 2001-2017 was over $226,000,000. Almost $214,000,000, or 94.4%, was for LT injuries and illnesses, even though LT claims comprise only 18% of total claims. CONCLUSIONS Targeted improvements in landscaper safety could come from controlling events leading to LT claims. Engineering controls and improved training are strongly recommended to reduce falls, overexertion, and struck-by injuries.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of ergonomic interventions in material handling operations involving 33 employers and 535 employees from 2012 to 2017. Outcomes included employee-reported low back/upper extremity pain and safety incidents at baseline, every three months, and annually for up to two years. A total of 32.5% of employees completed at least one survey, while 13.6% completed all nine surveys over two years. Among highly exposed employees (who reported handling >= 50 lbs. > 33% of the time), upper extremity pain frequency and severity were lower among those who reported using the intervention routinely versus those that reported using their body strength alone to handle objects >= 50 lbs. After excluding from analyses one employer that used anti-fatigue mats, low back pain frequency was also significantly lower among highly exposed intervention users. In conclusion, there was some evidence that the interventions were effective in reducing employee-reported pain for highly exposed employees.

Introduction Skilled nursing facilities have one of the highest rates of occupational injury and illness among all industries. This study quantifies the burden of occupational injury and illness in this industry using data from a single state-based workers' compensation (WC) system. Methods Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation claims from 2001 to 2012 were analyzed among privately owned, state-insured skilled nursing facilities and are presented as claim counts and rates per 100 full-time equivalents (FTE). Worker, employer, incident, and injury characteristics were examined among all claims and by medical-only (medical care expenses and/or less than eight days away from work) and lost-time (eight days or more away from work) claim types. Results There were 56,442 claims in this population of Ohio skilled nursing facilities from 2001 to 2012. Overexertion and bodily reaction, slips, trips, and falls, and contact with objects and equipment accounted for the majority of all WC claims (89%). Overexertion and bodily reaction, and slips, trips, and falls comprised 85% of the 10,793 lost-time claims. The highest injury event/exposure rates for all claims were for overexertion and bodily reaction (3.7 per 100 FTE for all claims), followed by slip, trips, and falls (2.1), and contact with objects and equipment (1.9). Conclusion Understanding the details surrounding injury events and exposures resulting in WC claims can help better align prevention efforts, such as incorporation of safe patient handling policies and lifting aids, improvement in housekeeping practices, and employee training within skilled nursing facilities to prevent worker injury and mitigate related expenses.

This paper presents a review of 153 case studies of equipment interventions to improve safety and health of construction businesses in Ohio in 2003–2016. These represent $6.46 million (2016...

Despite substantial financial and personnel resources being devoted to occupational exposure monitoring (OEM) by employers, workers’ compensation insurers, and other organizations, the United States (US) lacks comprehensive occupational exposure databases to use for research and surveillance activities. OEM data are necessary for determining the levels of workers’ exposures; compliance with regulations; developing control measures; establishing worker exposure profiles; and improving preventive and responsive exposure surveillance and policy efforts. Workers’ compensation insurers as a group may have particular potential for understanding exposures in various industries, especially among small employers. This is the first study to determine how selected state-based and private workers’ compensation insurers collect, store, and use OEM data related specifically to air and noise sampling. Of 50 insurers contacted to participate in this study, 28 completed an online survey. All of the responding private and the majority of state-based insurers offered industrial hygiene (IH) services to policyholders and employed one to three certified industrial hygienists on average. Many, but not all, insurers used standardized forms for data collection, but the data were not commonly stored in centralized databases. Data were most often used to provide recommendations for improvement to policyholders. Although not representative of all insurers, the survey was completed by insurers that cover a substantial number of employers and workers. The 20 participating state-based insurers on average provided 48% of the workers’ compensation insurance benefits in their respective states or provinces. These results provide insight into potential next steps for improving the access to and usability of existing data as well as ways researchers can help organizations improve data collection strategies. This effort represents an opportunity for collaboration among insurers, researchers, and others that can help insurers and employers while advancing the exposure assessment field in the US.

The aim of this study was to assess effects of exercise on shoulder musculoskeletal symptoms among employees with overhead assembly work exposures.A voluntary workplace shoulder exercise program was offered to employees in two automotive assembly departments, while two similar departments served as controls. N = 76 total workers participated. Shoulder Rating Questionnaire (SRQ) and Discomfort of the Arm Shoulder and Hand (DASH) symptoms were queried monthly for 7 baseline months, followed by 6 months that included exercise.SRQ scores were higher for exercisers than among controls in the 6 exercising months, but not in the baseline months. Although the group x month interaction was significant (P 0.05), the temporal trend was inconsistent.Exercise may have temporarily lessened decline in SRQ. It is not clear whether shorter term differences were clinically meaningful or predictive of longer term disability prevention.

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.

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.

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. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Background Lead exposure has been linked to impaired renal function and kidney failure. High lead exposures have been associated with increased mortality from certain cancers, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods We extended vital status follow-up on a cohort of 1,990 lead smelter workers by 25 years and computed standardized mortality ratios and rate ratios (RR) stratified by cumulative lead exposure. Results The update added 13,823 person-years at risk and 721 deaths. Increased risk of mortality was observed for the a priori outcomes of lung cancer, cardiovascular disease (including cerebrovascular disease), chronic kidney disease, and ALS. However, of these outcomes, only cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and chronic kidney diseases were associated with a positive exposure-response in RR analyses. Conclusions This study reaffirms the association of lead exposure with cardiovascular and kidney diseases; however, increased mortality observed for certain cancers is not likely to be due to lead exposure. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:979–986, 2016. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Manually reading free-text narratives in large databases to identify the cause of an injury can be very time consuming and recently, there has been much work in automating this process. In particular, the variations of the naïve Bayes model have been used to successfully auto-code free text narratives describing the event/exposure leading to the injury of a workers' compensation claim. This paper compares the naïve Bayes model with an alternative logistic model and found that this new model outperformed the naïve Bayesian model. Further modest improvements were found through the addition of sequences of keywords in the models as opposed to consideration of only single keywords. The programs and weights used in this paper are available upon request to researchers without a training set wishing to automatically assign event codes to large data-sets of text narratives. The utility of sharing this program was tested on an outside set of injury narratives provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics with promising results.

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 (

A review was conducted of 153 case studies of construction equipment interventions, representing $6.55 million (2016 USD) of equipment purchases incentivized through the U.S. state of Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (OBWC) Safety Intervention Grant (SIG) program. The source data were drawn from the applications and final reports of employers who received grants between 2003 and 2016. Outcomes were reductions in safety hazards, cumulative trauma disorder risk factors, and a score assessing quality of the intervention evaluative experience as determined through a framework developed by the authors. Items relating to the quality of the evaluative experience were manually extracted from the case study documentation. When aggregated by type of construction equipment, the risk factor reduction and evaluative quality scores were variable within and between equipment types. Equipment for cable pulling, used in the electrical trades, and skid steer attachments for concrete breaking (hydraulic breakers) both emerged as interventions ranked highly for reducing risk factors and for the evaluative quality of their case studies. Other intervention equipment types that ranked highly in both risk factor reduction and evaluative quality were concrete sawing equipment, trailers with hydraulic tilting/ramps, powered hand tools, and man lifts (boom lifts).

Introduction Workers' compensation (WC) insurers offer services and programs for prospective client selection and insured client risk control (RC) purposes. Toward these aims, insurers collect employer data that may include information on types of hazards present in the workplace, safety and health programs and controls in place to prevent injury/illness, and return-to-work programs to reduce injury/illness severity. Despite the potential impact of RC systems on workplace safety and health and the use of RC data in guiding prevention efforts, few research studies on the types of RC services provided to employers or the RC data collected have been published in the peer-reviewed literature. Methods Researchers conducted voluntary interviews with nine private and state-fund WC insurers to collect qualitative information on RC data and systems. Results Insurers provided information describing their RC data, tools, and practices. Unique practices as well as similarities including those related to RC services, policyholder goals, and databases were identified. Conclusions Insurers collect and store extensive RC data, which have utility for public health research for improving workplace safety and health. Practical applications Increased public health understanding of RC data and systems and an identification of key collaboration opportunities between insurers and researchers will facilitate increased use of RC data for public health purposes.

This study leveraged a state workers' compensation claims database and machine learning techniques to target prevention efforts by injury causation and industry.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.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).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.

Workers’ compensation (WC) insurers collect large amounts of industrial hygiene (IH) data in the United States. The data collected is not easily accessible for research or surveillance purposes. Individual WC insurers are using computerized systems to standardize and store the IH data, leaving a gap in standardization among the different WC insurers. This study sought to standardize IH data collection among WC insurers and to determine the feasibility of pooling collected IH data. IH air and noise survey forms were collected from WC insurers. Data fields on the forms were evaluated for importance and a study list of core fields was developed. The core study list was presented to an IH review panel for review before finalization. The final core study list was compared to recommendations published by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) and the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA). Fifty-nine forms from 10 organizations were collected. Industrial hygienists from research organizations, state-based WC insurers, and private WC insurers participated in the data field evaluation and on the review panel. For both air and noise survey forms, more than half the data fields (55% and 54%, respectively) were ranked as “essential.” Three of the four fields in the worker and control observations category ranked “essential” were found less than half of the time on both types of survey forms. The study list of core data elements consisted of more than half of the data fields from both the air and noise survey forms. Three additional fields were added based on the comparison to the ACGIH-AIHA recommendations. Data fields essential to standardizing IH data collection were identified and verified. The “essential” data fields will be made available and have the potential to be incorporated into WC insurers electronic IH data management systems. Future research should focus on other IH survey forms, such as those used in ergonomic assessments and specific chemical exposures, and methods to transfer data fields to electronic platforms.

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. Am. J. Ind. Med. 57:1398–1412, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

BACKGROUND: Stationary sawing machinery is often a basic tool in the wood product manufacturing industry and was the source for over 2,500 injury/illness events that resulted in days away from work in 2010. METHODS: We examined 9 years of workers' compensation claims for the state of Ohio in wood product manufacturing with specific attention to saw-related claims. For the study period, 8,547 claims were evaluated; from this group, 716 saw-related cases were examined. RESULTS: The sawmills and wood preservation sub-sector experienced a 71% reduction in average incidence rate and an 87% reduction in average lost-time incidence rate from 2001 to 2009. The top three injury category descriptions for lost-time incidents within saw-related claims were fracture (35.8%), open wounds (29.6%), and amputation (14.8%). CONCLUSIONS: For saw-related injuries, preventing blade contact remains important but securing the work piece to prevent kickback is also important. Am. J. Ind. Med. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Language: en

BackgroundAs the proportion of older workers in the U.S. increases, understanding the health and safety needs of an aging workforce is critical, especially in the hazardous and physically demanding construction industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2016 the rate of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in construction was 32.7 per 10 000 full-time equivalent workers, which was 11% higher than the rate for all industries combined. The objective of this study was to examine the rate and cost of WMSDs due to overexertion, the leading cause of WMSDs, among construction workers by age group in Ohio using workers’ compensation claims.MethodsOverexertion related WMSDs allowed claims, submitted to Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation (OBWC) by workers in the construction industry for injuries occurring from 2007–2013 were analyzed to compute rates of allowed claims and claim costs by age group. The American Community Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau was used to determine the proportion of construction workers in each age group in Ohio. For this study, age was categorized as 14–24, 25–34, 35–44, 45–54 and ≥55 years old.ResultsThere were 7434 overexertion related WMSD claims accepted by OBWC for construction workers who were injured due to overexertion in 2007–2013. Workers 35–44 years old experienced the highest claim rate of 7.28 per 1000 for WMSDs due to overexertion. However, the highest mean medical compensation cost for WMSD claims due to overexertion was for construction workers 55 years and older.ConclusionOverexertion-related WMSD claims appear to rise and then fall with age (≥55). There is a need to understand how aging interacts with WMSDs risk factors. Age-specific interventions to reduce WMSDs may help to retain older and skilled workers whose knowledge and experience might otherwise be lost when workers need to leave work because of debilitating WMSDs.

Workers' compensation (WC) claims data may be useful for identifying high-risk industries and developing prevention strategies.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.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.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.

This study investigated manual forces associated with trigger start (TS) and push to start (PTS) activation in-line electric screwdriver designs.The vertically directed axial screwdriver force transmitted with the driver to the fastener and the grip/finger forces on the driver handle were measured from 13 employees in an electronics assembly manufacturing facility. The PTS driver was associated with significantly (p .01) higher axial force than the TS driver at two of the four workstations, where the difference was as high as a 184% increase (36.5 vs. 103.8 N). Total finger force on the screwdriver handle was also higher for the PTS screwdriver (p .01). The PTS screwdriver may reduce instances of fastener head damage (“cam out”) by requiring a minimum level of axial force to ensure better contact between the screwdriver bit and the fastener. However, this appears to come at the expense of greater manual forces exerted by the operator. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Vibration acceleration was triaxially and basicentrically measured, and digital-audio-tape-recorded with each axis separately evaluated using both the ANSI S3.34 and ACGIH hand-arm vibration (HAV) guidelines, for two pairs of pneumatic handheld grinders commonly used in metal fabrication operations including shipyards. Each tool pair consisted of a new and used grinder of the same model, performing the same simulated grinding tasks using new small grinding wheels, carbide burrs, wire brushes, and flap wheels. The results of this limited study showed, primarily, that the HAV standards were not exceeded, but there was a consistent tendency for the acceleration levels to increase between new and used tools, ranging from 11% to 66% on the Z-axis, 13% to 66% on the Y-axis, 44% to 58% on the X-axis, when tasks involved using grinding wheels and carbide burrs (hard implements). The results were mixed when using disposable wire brushes and flap wheels (softer implements). The overall results suggest the need for and implementation of a regular tool vibration monitoring and maintenance program as a primary element to help maintain tool acceleration levels to a minimum. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Many of the job processes being performed today in ship construction, repair and recycling yards do not differ significantly from those same processes as performed fifty years ago. The complexity of vessels may have increased dramatically in the past fifty years but many of the job processes have not kept pace with changes in tech-nology. Due in part to the mismatch of technology between work processes and product design, researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), in collaboration with the National Shipbuilding Research Program Advanced Shipbuilding Enterprise (NSRP ASE) and the Maritime Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (MACOSH), have conducted a series of ergonomic analyses of work processes at a number of domestic shipyards. These analyses have identified specific work processes within the shipyards that have resulted in numerous, severe, or costly musculoskeletal injuries to the shipyard work-force. The mitigation of the occupational risk factors associated with these processes was the focus of targeted ergonomic interventions.

Tracking and trending rates of injuries and illnesses classified as musculoskeletal disorders caused by ergonomic risk factors such as overexertion and repetitive motion (MSDs) and slips, trips, or falls (STFs) in different industry sectors is of high interest to many researchers. Unfortunately, identifying the cause of injuries and illnesses in large datasets such as workers' compensation systems often requires reading and coding the free form accident text narrative for potentially millions of records.To alleviate the need for manual coding, this paper describes and evaluates a computer auto-coding algorithm that demonstrated the ability to code millions of claims quickly and accurately by learning from a set of previously manually coded claims.The auto-coding program was able to code claims as a musculoskeletal disorders, STF or other with approximately 90% accuracy.The program developed and discussed in this paper provides an accurate and efficient method for identifying the causation of workers' compensation claims as a STF or MSD in a large database based on the unstructured text narrative and resulting injury diagnoses. The program coded thousands of claims in minutes. The method described in this paper can be used by researchers and practitioners to relieve the manual burden of reading and identifying the causation of claims as a STF or MSD. Furthermore, the method can be easily generalized to code/classify other unstructured text narratives.

This study examined muscle fatigue and discomfort in a confined-space welding operation at a shipyard. Surface electromyography (SEMG) was recorded from seven upper extremity and torso muscles of welders welding in a mock-up of the work environment. Following spectral transform of the SEMG data the percentage of the total signal power in the 10-30 Hz frequency band was compared over time during welding. For the conventional stick electrode welding process (SMAW) several muscles exhibited an increase in the percent of the total signal power in the low-frequency band. Fewer muscles exhibited this fatigue-related spectral density shift with a wire welding process (FCAW) the shipyard has considered adopting. This finding suggests that localized muscle fatigue may be reduced by a change to the wire welding process. Subjectively reported discomfort was generally low for both processes, but confirmed the finding that discomfort in the low back and shoulder regions is experienced in this welding operation.