Workers’ compensation claims for musculoskeletal disorders and injuries of the upper extremity and knee among union carpenters in Washington State, 1989–2008

Abstract

A combination of factors likely account for the patterns observed over time and across worker characteristics. Drywall installers are an intervention priority.

Work‐related illness and injury claims among nationally certified athletic trainers reported to Washington and California from 2001 to 2011

“…Consistent with other published research studies of workers’ compensation, females experienced higher claim rates than males in this study [Berecki‐Gisolf et al, ; Lipscomb et al, ]. Whether this is reflective of differences in reporting behavior, health care seeking, or differences in risk is uncertain.…”

Contrasting patterns of care for musculoskeletal disorders and injuries of the upper extremity and knee through workers' compensation and private health care insurance among union carpenters in Washington State, 1989 to 2008

“…Using data from the Carpenters Trusts of Western Washington (CTWW) we previously identified a cohort of union carpenters who worked in the State of Washington between 1989 and 2008, their dates of birth, gender, earliest date of union activity, and their hours of union work [Lipscomb et al, , ; Lipscomb et al, 2014; Lipscomb et al, , ; McCoy et al, 2012]. Study cohort membership was limited to individuals who worked at least 3 months of union hours during this 20‐year period and had at least one month of eligibility for health insurance through CTWW.…”

“…Claims from companies which self‐insure for WC coverage are only coded in the L&I data if they result in paid lost time from work. The L&I data include the date of injury, and codes describing the events in terms of body part injured, the nature of the injury, the type of event causing the injury, and whether the claim resulted in medical costs or paid lost time from work, which occurs after the third lost day in the State of Washington [Lipscomb et al, ; accompanying manuscript]. Data were extracted in August 2009 allowing 8 months after the last claims were filed in 2008 for fuller development of the claims and capture of the self‐insured claims that resulted in paid lost time.…”

“…We subsequently documented marked declines in musculoskeletal soft tissue injuries and disorders involving the upper extremity (UE) and the knee through WC for members of this construction cohort [Lipscomb et al, ; accompanying paper]. In light of these findings and the long‐recognized difficulty in segregating MSDIs related to occupational exposure from those that are not related to work activities, we wanted to explore possible care‐shifting related to treatment of these outcomes among this large, well‐established 20‐year occupational cohort of union carpenters [Lipscomb et al, 1997, 2003, 2009a,b; McCoy et al, 2012] at high risk of MSDIs due to their work exposures.…”

Facilitators and barriers to the adoption of ergonomic solutions in construction

“…Rates of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in construction are responsible for high rates of both workers’ compensation claims and personal health claims [CPWR—The Center for Construction Research and Training, ; Dale et al, ; Lipscomb et al, ,] and implementation of sustainable ergonomic solutions to prevent MSD in construction work is a challenge [Schneider, ; Hecker et al, ; Hess et al, ; Weinstein et al, ; Rinder et al, ; Kramer et al, ]. An ergonomic solution is defined as an available new device or technology that can be used to reduce musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risk factors in construction related tasks, and may include equipment, positioners, hand tools, power tools, manual material handling devices (MMH), and personal protective equipment (PPE) [Bernard, ; Dale et al, ].…”