Predictors of Delayed Return to Work After Back Injury: A Case-Control Analysis of Union Carpenters in Washington State

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cameron W ; Kucera KL ; Lipscomb HJ ; Silverstein B
• Description:
  METHODS: Union administrative records identified 20,642 union carpenters who worked in Washington State from 1989 to 2003. The Department of Labor and Industries provided records of workers' compensation claims and associated medical care. Work-related back claims (n = 4,241) were identified by ANSI codes (back, trunk, or neck/back) or ICD-9 codes relevant to medical care consistent with a back injury. Cases (n = 738) were defined as back injury claims with >90 days of paid lost time; controls (n = 699) resulted in return to work within 30 days. Logistic regression models estimated odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (OR, 95% CI) of delayed return to work (DRTW). RESULTS: Thirty percent of case claims and 8% of control claims were identified by an ICD-9 code. DRTW after back injury was associated with being female (2.7, 95% CI: 1.3-5.5), age 30-44 (1.2, 95% CI: 0.9-1.7) and age over 45 (1.6, 95% CI: 1.1-2.3), four or more years union experience (1.4, 95% CI: 1.1-1.8), previous paid time loss back claim (1.8, 95% CI: 1.3-2.5), and >or=30-day delay to medical care (3.6, 95% CI: 2.1, 6.1). Evidence of more acute trauma was also associated with DRTW. CONCLUSIONS: Use of ICD-9 codes identified claims with multiple injuries that would otherwise not be captured by ANSI codes alone. Though carpenters of younger age and inexperience were at increased risk for a paid lost time back injury claim, older carpenters and more experienced workers, once injured, were more likely to have DRTW as were those who experienced acute events. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidents, Occupational Age Factors Biomechanical Phenomena Construction Industry Demography Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Sex Characteristics Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Accident-statistics Age-factors Author Keywords: Workers' Compensation Back-injuries Back Injury Claim Biomechanics Construction Construction-industry Construction-workers Delayed Return To Work Demographic-characteristics Health-care Health-services Injuries Mathematical-models Musculoskeletal-system Musculoskeletal-system-disorders Occupational-hazards Paid Lost Work Time Risk-analysis Risk-factors Sex-factors Statistical-analysis Work-analysis Work-environment Work-operations Work-performance Work-practices Workplace-studies

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; North Carolina ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  52
• Issue:
  11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20036428
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2009 Nov; 52(11):821-830
• Contact Point Address:
  Kristen L. Kucera, Division of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Department of Community & Family Medicine, Duke University, 2200 W Main St, Suite 400, Durham, NC 27705
• Email:
  kristen.kucera@duke.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• NORA Priority Area:
  Disease and Injury: Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Upper Extremities
• Performing Organization:
  Duke University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20040601
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20081231
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:efd6b21f4d958e08d6c856d59b244fa9714587eb58c34c09d62804edf3c09a3368fb591a13a01e8926b5343879fca266d3122438aab401b0bd265d85c2bfc63f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/187864/cdc_187864_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 105.39 KB ]