Publications

On this page you will find a list of publications produced as a result of projects which used workers’ compensation data for prevention purposes. This list will be updated moving forward. Please submit any input to cwcs@cdc.gov.

NIOSH Numbered Publications

Workers’ Compensation Insurance Primer for Public Health

This NIOSH numbered document describes workers’ compensation insurance, the industry, its records, and the potential uses of relevant information for public health purposes. A need for the document was identified at the second workshop on workers compensation data use for occupational injury and illness prevention. The document was prepared with broad stakeholder input and published in 2013.

Occupational safety and health research and surveillance are essential for the prevention and control of injuries, illnesses and hazards that arise from the workplace. Research and surveillance can fill gaps in knowledge about where hazards exist and what interventions are effective at preventing workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities. Workers’ compensation insurance records are a resource used for these primary prevention purposes. In addition, workers’ compensation records may be used for early detection of health outcomes in populations of workers which is part of secondary prevention. They may also be used to help identify effective medical treatment which is part of tertiary prevention.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance: A Primer for Public Health

Use of Workers’ Compensation Data for Occupational Safety and Health: Proceedings of June 2012 Workshop

Several government agencies and private organizations sponsored a workshop on the use of workers’ compensation data for occupational safety and health purposes which was held in June 2012. The workshop fostered discussions on opportunities for collaboration in the analysis of workers’ compensation data in order to help reduce the risks of occupational injuries and illnesses. Stakeholders from private insurance carriers, insurance associations, self-insured corporations, academic institutions and government agencies participated. This second workshop on this topic included discussions of 6 draft white papers along with 35 platform and poster presentations on research with workers’ compensation data. The following can be found within this document, NIOSH Publication Number 2013-147 :

• Bhattacharya A, Schulte PA, Anderson V. Workers’ Compensation Costs in Wholesale and Retail Trade Sectors in US.
• Krohm G, Wolf-Horejsh J, Aeillo T. Using Workers’ Compensation Administrative Data to Analyze Injury Rates.
• Morin J, Utterback DF, Shor G, Welsh L, Bogyo T, Wurzelbacher SJ. Workers’ Compensation Loss Prevention.
• Meyers AR, Wurzelbacher SJ, Bertke SJ, Lampl M, Robins DR, Bell J. Using workers’ compensation data for surveillance of occupational injuries and illnesses — Ohio, 2005–2009.
• Wurzelbacher SJ, Meyers AR, Bertke SJ, Lampl M, Robins DR, Bushnell PT, Tarawneh A, Childress D, Turnes J. Comparison of cost valuation methods for workers compensation.

Use of Workers’ Compensation Data for Occupational Injury and Illness Prevention: Proceedings of September 2009 Workshop

The Use of Workers’ Compensation Data for Occupational Injury and Illness Prevention Workshop was convened to discuss opportunities for collaboration in the analysis of workers’ compensation data in order to help reduce the risks of occupational injuries and illnesses. Stakeholders from private insurance carriers, insurance associations, self-insured corporations, academic institutions and government agencies participated. Presentations described differences among state laws, proper interpretation of common industry terms, proprietary interests in insurance data, public release of internal analyses, and methods for linking workers’ compensation data with other health and employment data. The summary section describes the discussion sessions that identified some of the key advantages, limitations and future opportunities for collaborative research and surveillance using workers’ compensation data. The proceedings may be accessed here.