Relationship of work injury severity to family member hospitalization

Workplace Injury Compensation and Mental Health and Self-Harm Outcomes: A Systematic Review

Workers' compensation systems aim to financially support injured workers. However, seeking compensation often leads to poorer physical and mental health outcomes. This review examines previous studies to investigate the relationship between workers' compensation and mental health and self-harm outcomes. A three-tiered search strategy across five databases identified studies that examined workers' compensation claims as an exposure or risk factor, with outcomes related to mental health, self-harm and suicidality. Nine full-text studies were included; however, heterogeneity limited generalizability. Most studies supported an association between pursuing compensation and poorer mental health and self-harm outcomes. Some studies attributed this to specific aspects of the system such as justice perception and navigation of the claims system. Findings suggest an association between workers' compensation and mental health or self-harm outcomes. Inconclusive findings highlight the need for further research. Understanding the psychiatric impacts of pursuing compensation is crucial to help formulate a more accessible compensation system.

Association of Parent Workplace Injury With Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Children

OBJECTIVE

Investigate associations between occupational injury to parents and the psychological well-being of their children.

METHODS

We used multiple logistic regression to examine effects of occupational injury to parents on measures of psychological well-being among their children using National Health Interview Survey data from 2012 through 2016.

RESULTS

Children of injured workers exhibited greater impairment than children of workers who had not sustained injuries for four of five measures of emotional and behavioral functioning that were hypothesized to differentiate these two child groups. A significant group difference was not observed for a sixth behavioral measure that was expected to be insensitive to parent occupational injury.

CONCLUSION

Study findings heighten concern over downstream effects of occupational injury and signal need for more expansive investigation of these effects and mitigation strategies among children of injured workers.

Does time off work after injury vary by jurisdiction? A comparative study of eight Australian workers' compensation systems

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether the jurisdiction in which a work-related injury compensation claim is made is an independent predictor of duration of time off work following work injury, and if so, the magnitude of the effect.

SETTING

Eight Australian state and territory workers' compensation systems, providing coverage for more than 90% of the Australian labour force. Administrative claims data from these systems were provided by government regulatory authorities for the study.

PARTICIPANTS

95 976 Australian workers with workers' compensation claims accepted in 2010 and with at least 2 weeks of compensated time off work.

PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE

Duration of time lost from work in weeks, censored at 104 weeks.

RESULTS

After controlling for demographic, worker, injury and employer factors in a Cox regression model, significant differences in duration of time loss between state and territory of claim were observed. Compared with New South Wales, workers in Victoria, South Australia and Comcare had significantly longer durations of time off work and were more likely to be receiving income benefits at 104 weeks postinjury, while workers in Tasmania and Queensland had significantly shorter durations of time off work.

CONCLUSIONS

The jurisdiction in which an injured worker makes a compensation claim has a significant and independent impact on duration of time loss. Further research is necessary to identify specific compensation system policies and practices that promote timely and appropriate return to work and reduce duration of time off work.

Effects of social, economic, and labor policies on occupational health disparities

BACKGROUND

This article introduces some key labor, economic, and social policies that historically and currently impact occupational health disparities in the United States.

METHODS

We conducted a broad review of the peer-reviewed and gray literature on the effects of social, economic, and labor policies on occupational health disparities.

RESULTS

Many populations such as tipped workers, public employees, immigrant workers, and misclassified workers are not protected by current laws and policies, including worker's compensation or Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforcement of standards. Local and state initiatives, such as living wage laws and community benefit agreements, as well as multiagency law enforcement contribute to reducing occupational health disparities.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a need to build coalitions and collaborations to command the resources necessary to identify, and then reduce and eliminate occupational disparities by establishing healthy, safe, and just work for all.

Incidence and cost of depression after occupational injury

OBJECTIVES

We examined if injured workers were more likely than noninjured workers to be treated for depression after an occupational injury and estimated the cost paid by group medical insurance.

METHOD

Nearly 367,900 injured and noninjured workers were drawn from the 2005 Thomson Reuters MarketScan data. Descriptive, logistic, and two-part model regression analyses were used.

RESULTS

The odds of injured workers being treated for depression within the study period were 45% higher than those of noninjured workers (95% confidence interval, 1.17-1.78). The unconditional average cost of outpatient depression treatment was 63% higher for injured workers than for noninjured workers.

CONCLUSIONS

Injured workers were more likely than noninjured workers to suffer from depression during the study period. Consequently, additional costs are incurred for treating injured workers' depression; these costs were not covered by the workers' compensation system.

Incidence and costs of family member hospitalization following injuries of workers' compensation claimants

BACKGROUND

The consequences of occupational injuries for the health of family members have rarely been studied. We hypothesized that non-fatal occupational injury would increase the incidence and costs of hospitalization among workers' families, and that family members of severely injured workers would be likely to experience greater increases in hospitalizations than family members of non-severely injured workers.

DATA AND METHODS

We used the MarketScan databases from Thomson Reuters for 2002-2005, which include workers' compensation and inpatient medical care claims data for injured workers' families. We used a before-after analysis to compare the odds and costs of family hospitalization 3 months before and after the index occupational injury among 18,411 families. Severe injuries were defined by receipt of indemnity payments and at least 7 days of lost work. Family hospitalizations were measured by the incidence of hospitalization of at least one family member.

RESULTS

Among families of all injured workers, the odds of at least one family member being hospitalized were 31% higher [95% confidence intervals (CI) = 1.11-1.55] in the 3 months following occupational injury than in the 3 months preceding injury. Among the families of severely injured workers, the odds of hospitalization were 56% higher [95% CI = 1.05-2.34] in the 3 months following injury. Hospitalization costs were found to rise by approximately the same percentage as hospitalization incidence.

CONCLUSION

The impact of occupational injury may extend beyond the workplace and adversely affect the health and inpatient medical care use of family members.

Paid sick leave and nonfatal occupational injuries

OBJECTIVES

We examined the association between US workers' access to paid sick leave and the incidence of nonfatal occupational injuries from the employer's perspective. We also examined this association in different industries and occupations.

METHODS

We developed a theoretical framework to examine the business value of offering paid sick leave. Data from the National Health Interview Survey were used to test the hypothesis that offering paid sick leave is associated with a reduced incidence of occupational injuries. We used data on approximately 38 000 working adults to estimate a multivariate model.

RESULTS

With all other variables held constant, workers with access to paid sick leave were 28% (95% confidence interval = 0.52, 0.99) less likely than workers without access to paid sick leave to be injured. The association between the availability of paid sick leave and the incidence of occupational injuries varied across sectors and occupations, with the greatest differences occurring in high-risk sectors and occupations.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that, similar to other investments in worker safety and health, introducing or expanding paid sick leave programs might help businesses reduce the incidence of nonfatal occupational injuries, particularly in high-risk sectors and occupations.