Changes in Income after an Industrial Accident According to Industry and Return-to-Work Status

Impact of biomechanical exposure (job-exposure matrix 'MADE') and social support on return to work following occupational injuries

OBJECTIVES

To identify the determinants that influence the outcome of the return to work (RTW) after occupational injuries.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study at the National Health Insurance Fund of Tunisia among victims of occupational injuries. Individual and professional factors have been evaluated through a face-to-face questionnaire for ten months. Biomechanical exposure was estimated by the job-exposure matrix "MADE" and social support by the Social Support Scale. Along with descriptive statistics, we used bivariate analysis, binary logistic regression, and random forest.

RESULTS

We included 199 injured workers aged 20-60 years (mean = 42.73; 79.9 % male).Of the 199 injured workers, 39.7 % had unsuccessful RTW. Low social support, biomechanical exposure, blue-collar workers, working long hours, and severe injuries were associated with an unsuccessful return to work. In the variable importance plot issued from the random forest model, low social support at work was the most important risk factor of an unsuccessful RTW, followed by MADE variables: repetitiveness and effort.

CONCLUSION

Biomechanical exposure and social support are main influencers of the return-to-work process.

One-year outcomes of traumatic injuries among survivors in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study on the employment outcomes and functioning state

Background

Traumatic injury is one of the top public health challenges globally. Injury survivors often experience poor health and functioning and restricted participation in employment. In Ethiopia, there is a paucity of evidence about the long-term consequences of injuries, particularly about their employment outcomes and disability status. This study characterizes injury survivors by their preinjury status, injury characteristics, postinjury employment outcomes and disability status 1 year post injury.

Methods

An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted on injury survivors who received services from a large public hospital in Addis Ababa. Medical records of all emergency room patients who visited the hospital within a 3-month period were reviewed to identify those who were eligible. A structured questionnaire was completed using a telephone interview. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the outcomes.

Results

Of the 254 participants, 78% were men, 48% were young adults (age 25-39 years), 41% were injured by road traffic collision, 52% were admitted to the hospital for up to a week and only 16% received compensation for the injury. Before the injury, 87% were working in manual labor. One-year after the injury, the total return to work (RTW) rate was 59%; 61% of participants experienced some level of disability, 33% had at least one type of chronic illness and 56% reported challenges of physical stressors when attempting to RTW. Among the 150 who returned to work, 46% returned within 12 weeks, 78% to the same employer and most received support from multiple sources, including community-level institutions (88%) and families/friends (67%).

Conclusion

Traumatic injury substantially impacted the employment outcomes of survivors and contributed to increased disability in Ethiopia. This study lays a foundation for future research and contributes crucial evidence for advocacy to improve injury prevention and trauma rehabilitation in low and middle-income contexts.

Level of evidence

II.

Prediction Model for Job Retention According to the Type of Return to Work Among Industrially Injured Workers in Korea

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to investigate how the type of return to work after an industrial accident affects job retention.

METHODS

Using data from the panel study of workers' compensation insurance first-third, and hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for workers leaving their jobs.

RESULTS

The HR leaving their jobs were higher in the "reemployed" compared with that in the "returned to original work," with HR of 2.69 (2.33-3.10). According workers' status, the HRs leaving their jobs were higher among the "reemployed" than among those who "returned to original work." Regular and daily workers' HRs were 1.70 (1.37-2.11) and 3.55 (2.96-4.26), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that to increase job retention rate, protection policies for reemployed workers or support for employers who hire reemployed workers should be considered.

ICF-Based Job Performance Predictors for South Korean Industrial Accident Workers: Population-Based 3-Year Longitudinal Analysis

Since workers who have experienced industrial accidents may have a physical impairment, their workload is very likely to be less than before the industrial accident. This epidemiological study identified ICF-based predictive factors affecting the work performance of South Korean workers who were economically active after undergoing medical treatment (rehabilitation) related to injuries caused by industrial accidents by using the Panel Study of Worker’s Compensation Insurance (2018–2020) as a reference. We analyzed 1383 subjects who were engaged in economic activities. The explanatory variables included participation factors, activity factors, personal factors, physical function factors, and rehabilitation service factors. The outcome variables were defined by subjective evaluations of current job performance (0 and 10 points). This study analyzed the trajectory of change in work performance and change function predictors over time by using latent growth modeling (LGM). This study found mental activity, indoor activity, occupational activity, disability grade, socioeconomic status, the length of recuperation, self-esteem, and self-efficacy as significant predictors. The results of this study suggested that it would be necessary to prepare a systematic program that considers activity factors to support the independent daily life activities and social participation of workers injured by industrial accidents.

Health inequalities and income for people with spinal cord injury. A comparison between and within countries

Income and health are related in a bi-directional manner, whereby level of income affects health and vice versa. People in poorer households tend to experience worse health status and higher mortality rates than people in wealthier households, and, at the same time, having poor health could restrict workability leading to less income. This gap exists in almost every country, and it is more pronounced in more unequal countries and in vulnerable populations, such as people experiencing disability. The goal of this paper is to estimate the health-income gap in people with a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), which is a chronic health condition often associated with multiple comorbidities that leads to disability. As data on mortality is inexistent, to estimate the health-income gap for persons with SCI, this paper uses two health outcomes: the number of years a person has lived with the injury, and a comorbidity index. Data was obtained from the International Spinal Cord Injury survey (InSCI), which is the first worldwide survey on community-dwelling persons with SCI. To compare across countries, the health outcomes were adjusted through hierarchical models, accounting for country fixed-effects, individual characteristics such as age and gender, and injury characteristics (cause, type and degree). Our results suggest that for the years living with SCI, the gap varies from 1 to 6 years between the lowest and the highest income groups. The main driver of such a difference is the cause of injury, where injuries caused by work accidents showed the biggest gap. Similarly, for the comorbidity index, persons with SCI in poorer deciles reported significantly more comorbidities, forty times more, than people in richer deciles.

Relationship between workers' return to work, job retention and income in industrial accidents in Korea: a longitudinal study

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to compare workers' income before and after an occupational injury, with regard to return to work and job retention, over a period of 5 years.

DESIGN

This study was designed as a longitudinal study.

SETTING

The Panel Study of Workers' Compensation Insurance (PSWCI) survey targeted workers involved in industrial accidents for which medical care was terminated in the year 2012.

PARTICIPANTS

The panel study was conducted on a final sample of 2000 workers who were selected proportionally by region (nine regions) after priority assignment by disability rating (six levels). A total of 1458 workers were finally included in this study.

METHODS

This study used data from the first to fifth PSWCI. To identify the effect on income after occupational injury considering return to work and job retention, we used the generalised estimating equation.

RESULTS

In regard to workers' return to work, the OR that income after an occupational injury would be higher than that before an occupational injury was 3.17 (2.41-4.17) for those who returned to original work and 2.32 (1.81-2.97) for those re-employed as compared with who did not return to work and 1.27 (1.07-1.15) for those who retained their job as compared with those who did not. The ORs were 2.91 (2.26-3.75) for those who were re-employed and retained jobs and 2.96 (2.15-4.08) for those who returned to original work and did not retain jobs as compared with those who did not return to work and did not retain jobs.

CONCLUSIONS

It is important for accident victims to retain their jobs to maintain their economic status.

Effect of professional certification on employees' return-to-work rate after occupational injuries in Korea: focusing on vulnerable groups

Background

One effective way to improve return-to-work (RTW) performance may be to convince the employer that the worker has the necessary skills. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of having a professional certification among workers injured in occupational injuries on their return to work.

Methods

The Panel Study of Workers’ Compensation Insurance (PSWCI) targets workers who completed medical care in 2012 after an occupational injury. The study population (n = 2000) was stratified by gender, age, region, disability grade, and rehabilitation service use. A total of 1458 workers were finally selected for this study.

The effect of having a certification on RTW status was calculated with an odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals using binomial and multinomial logistic regression analyses. In the binomial logistic regression analysis, the RTW group was made up as a combination of the return to original work and the reemployment groups.

Results

The ORs of RTW among those with a certification compared to those without certification were 1.38 (1.16–1.65) in Model 1, 1.25 (1.05–1.50) in Model 2, and 1.22 (1.01–1.47) in Model 3. Among female workers with a certification, the OR of RTW was 4.60 (2.68–7.91), that of return to original work was 3.21 (1.74–5.91), and that of reemployment was 5.85 (3.34–10.27). Among daily workers with a certification, the OR of RTW was 1.32 (1.03–1.69) and that of reemployment was 1.37 (1.07–1.76).

Conclusion

In conclusion, injured workers with a certification generally had a higher RTW rate. In particular, the RTW rate was higher among female workers and daily workers with a certification than among those without.

Increased risk of suicide after occupational injury in Korea

Objectives

This study sought to investigate the association between occupational injury and subsequent risk of suicide in Korea.

Methods

We linked compensation data for 775 537 workers injured at work during 2003–2014 with National Death Registry through 2015. Suicide among injured workers was compared with the economically active population in Korea separately for men and women by calculating SMRs, with 95% CIs.

Results

Injured workers showed higher mortality from suicide for both men (SMR=2.22, 95% CI 2.14 to 2.31) and women (SMR=2.11, 95% CI 1.81 to 2.45) compared with the economically active population in Korea.

Conclusions

Occupational injuries are associated with substantially elevated suicide risk in Korea. The results suggest the importance of social policies to protect and support injured workers as well as intensifying efforts to prevent workplace injuries.