Claims Incidence of Work-Related Disorders of the Upper Extremities: Washington State, 1987 through 1995
By Cindy Higgins, RIIL (Research Information for Independent Living)
An eight-year study of worker's compensation claims associated with upper extremity disorders in the state of Washington (U.S.) found that the most frequent injuries were to the hand and wrist, with 100,499 claims accepted between 1987 and 9995. The next most frequent disorder was to the shoulder (55,3125) followed by the elbow (30,468). The most costly injury was rotator cuff syndrome at an average of $15,790 a person followed by carpal tunnel syndrome at $12,794 and epicondylitits (inflamation of the tendon at the elbow) at $6,593.
According to the study, construction industries dominated the high-risk jobs for shoulder and elbow disorders. Other high-risk industries were logging, garbage collection, nursing homes, and foundries. Food processing and manufactories accounted for the most cases of carpal tunnel syndrome. Analysis also showed that temporary agencies ranked in the top ten high-risk industries for carpal tunnel syndrome and for elbow and shoulder disorders. People making claims averaged an age of 34 years. Females accounted for the majority of carpal tunnel syndrome claims. Men had more elbow and shoulder problems.
Besides state costs and employee hardships related to these disorders, employers lose in lost productivity, quality, training, recruitment, and other administrative costs.
The researchers found that the solution is prevention. Disorders that happen gradually can be prevented by reducing the duration, frequency, or intensity of high force or repetition over time. Amputations, fractures, falls, and other injuries that happen suddenly can be prevented by increasing safety measures, such as machine guards or making surfaces not slippery.
The researchers stated that they had problems classifying gradual from sudden onset disorders. They also thought the state industry categories too broad and wished they could include the self-insured companies that were among the state's largest companies. The state grants claims to acute disorders more consistently than gradual onset illnesses, which the researchers thought also may have influenced the study results. The researchers hoped others will look at health and safety issues affecting workers.
For those interested in the in-depth report on the study written in English, the citation is Silverstein, B., Welp, E., Nelson, N., & Kalat, J. (1998). Claims incidence of work-related disorders of the upper extremities: Washington state, 1987 through 1995. American Journal of Public Health 88(12), 1827-1833.
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