Workers’ Compensation Claims Among Private Skilled Nursing Facilities, Ohio, 2001–2012

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bush AM ; Lampl MP ; Reichard AA ; Tseng C-Y ; Wurzelbacher, Steven J.
• Description:
  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. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Environmental Exposure Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Health Personnel Occupational Health Preventive Medicine Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Injury Surveillance Exposure Levels Injuries Lifting Lifting Capacity Manual Lifting Medical Facilities Nursing Occupational Injury Overexertion Prevention Preventive Measures Risk Factors Safety Measures Skilled Nursing Facility Slips, Trips, And Falls STF Work Environment Workers Workers' Compensation Workers Compensation

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• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Kentucky ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSR - Division of Safety Research ; DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  63
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061293
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2020 Dec; 63(12):1155-1168
• Contact Point Address:
  Ashley M. Bush, Dr PH, Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center, University of Kentucky, 333 Waller Ave, Lexington, KY 40504
• Email:
  ashleybush@uky.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e4200444f00be023f1a97404965875262c871b77794c28ab794d6459ace4b67685c815209999b0e3592944aae765db96a85fad2a4efc43d36436801b29eb7263
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/224865/cdc_224865_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 928.43 KB ]