Occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities among workers in the services sector industries: 2003 to 2007

Developing indices to identify hotspots of skin cancer vulnerability among the Non-Hispanic White population in the United States

PURPOSE

Skin cancer is the most common, yet oftentimes preventable, cancer type in the United States. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight is the most prominent environmental risk factor for skin cancer. Besides environmental exposure, demographic characteristics such as race, age, and socioeconomic status may make some groups more vulnerable. An exploratory spatial clustering method is described for identifying clusters of vulnerability to skin cancer incidence and mortality based on composite indices, which combine data from environmental and demographic risk factors.

METHODS

Based on county-level ultraviolet data and demographic risk factors, two vulnerability indices for skin cancer were generated using an additive percentile rank approach. With these indices, univariate local Moran's I spatial autocorrelation identified significant clusters, or hotspots, of neighboring counties with high overall vulnerability indices. Clusters were identified separately for skin cancer incidence and mortality.

RESULTS

Counties with high vulnerabilities were spatially distributed across the United States in a pattern that generally increased to the South and West. Clusters of counties with high skin cancer incidence vulnerability were mostly observed in Utah and Colorado, even with highly conservative levels of significance. Meanwhile, clusters for skin cancer mortality vulnerability were observed in southern Alabama and west Florida as well as across north Alabama, north Georgia and up through the Tennessee-North Carolina area.

CONCLUSIONS

Future skin cancer research and screening initiatives may use these innovative composite vulnerability indices and identified clusters to better target resources based on anticipated risk from underlying demographic and environmental factors.

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.

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.

On-the-ground health and safety experiences of non-union casino hotel workers: A focus-group study stratified by four occupational groups

OBJECTIVES

To understand the health- and safety-related experiences of specific occupations among non-union casino hotel employees to identify processes leading to worker health and safety risks.

METHODS

Using purposive, criterion sampling, 61 workers participated in 13 recorded focus groups (FGs). A semi-structured topic guide addressed work-related health and safety impacts, workplace hazards, and management responses, among others. FG transcripts were analyzed following grounded theory methodology. Demographic and occupational health information was collected via survey.

RESULTS

Codes (97) were collapsed into seven themes: activities/exposures negatively affecting health/safety; barriers to health/safety; injury/pain occurrences; coping mechanisms; job vulnerability; management policies/enforcement; lack of management concern for employees. From these themes emerged the Dynamic Theoretical Framework of Employee Health and Safety Risk.

CONCLUSIONS

"Management's lack of concern" creates a negative environment whereby employer-controlled factors jeopardize employees' health and safety. Interventions targeting management's lack of concern for employee health and safety could favorably change work-based risks.

Prioritizing industries for occupational injury prevention and research in the Services Sector in Washington State, 2002-2010

Background

The Services Sector, as defined by the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA), is comprised of a diverse industry mix and its workers face a variety of occupational exposures and hazards. The objective of this study was to identify high-risk industry groups within the Services Sector for prevention targeting.

Methods

Compensable Washington State workers’ compensation claims from the Services Sector from 2002 through 2010 were analyzed. A “prevention index” (PI), the average of the rank orders of claim count and claim incidence rate, was used to rank 87 Services Sector industry groups by seven injury types: Work- Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs), Fall to Lower Level, Fall on Same Level, Struck By/Against, Caught In/Under/Between, Motor Vehicle, and Overexertion. In the PI rankings, industry groups with high injury burdens appear higher ranked than industry groups with low counts or low rates of injury, indicating a need for prioritizing injury prevention efforts in these groups.

Results

In the Services Sector, these 7 injury types account for 84% of compensable claims in WA. The industry groups highest ranked by PI across the injury types included: Services to Buildings and Dwellings; Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support; and Waste Collection. WMSDs had the highest compensable claims rates.

Conclusions

Services is a large sector of the economy, and the substantial number, rate, and cost of occupational injuries within this sector should be addressed. Several Services Sector industry groups are at high risk for a variety of occupational injuries. Using a PI to rank industry groups based on their injury risk provides information with which to guide prevention efforts.

Risk factors, health behaviors, and injury among adults employed in the transportation, warehousing, and utilities super sector

BACKGROUND

The TWU super sector is engaged in the movement of passengers and cargo, warehousing of goods, and the delivery of services. The purpose of this study is to describe employee self-reported personal risk factors, health behaviors and habits, disease and chronic conditions, and employer-reported nonfatal injury experiences of workers in the TWU super sector.

METHODS

National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data for 1997-2007, grouped into six morbidity and disability categories and three age groups, were reviewed. Demographic characteristics and prevalence estimates are reported for workers in the TWU super sector and the entire U.S. workforce, and compared with national adult population data from the NHIS. Bureau of Labor Statistics employer-reported TWU injury data from 2003 to 2007 was also reviewed.

RESULTS

An average of 8.3 million workers were employed annually in the TWU super sector. TWU workers 65 or older reported the highest prevalence of hypertension (49%) across all industry sectors, but the 20% prevalence is notable among middle age workers (25-64). TWU workers had the highest prevalence of obesity (28%), compared to workers in all other industry sectors. Female TWU workers experienced the highest number of lost workdays (6.5) in the past year across all TWU demographic groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Self-reported high proportions of chronic conditions including hypertension and heart disease combined with elevated levels of being overweight and obese, and lack of physical activity-particularly among TWUs oldest workers-can meaningfully inform wellness strategies and interventions focused on this demographic group. Am. J. Ind. Med. 56:556-568, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.