Work-related injuries among commercial janitors in Washington State, comparisons by gender
| Autor: | Caroline K. Smith, Naomi J. Anderson |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Male Washington Gerontology Population Poison control Workers' compensation Occupational safety and health 03 medical and health sciences Sex Factors 0302 clinical medicine Injury prevention Humans Medicine 030212 general & internal medicine Safety Risk Reliability and Quality education Service (business) education.field_of_study business.industry Incidence Middle Aged Occupational Injuries 030210 environmental & occupational health Health equity Workforce Workers' Compensation Female business |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Safety Research. 62:199-207 |
| ISSN: | 0022-4375 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jsr.2017.06.016 |
| Popis: | Introduction We analyzed workers' compensation (WC) data to identify characteristics related to workers' compensation claim outcomes among janitorial service workers in Washington State. Method We analyzed WC data from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) State Fund (SF) from January 1, 2003 through December 31, 2013, for janitorial service workers employed in the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Services Sector. We constructed multivariable models to identify factors associated with higher medical costs and increased time lost from work. Results There were 2,390 janitorial service compensable claims available for analysis. There were significant differences in injury type and other factors by gender, age, and language preference. Linguistic minority status was associated with longer time loss and higher median medical costs. Women were estimated to account for 35% of janitorial service workers but made up 55% of the compensable claims in this study. Conclusions Janitorial service workers comprise a large vulnerable occupational group in the U.S. workforce. Identifying differences by injury type and potential inequitable outcomes by gender and language is important to ensuring equal treatment in the workers' compensation process. Practical applications There were significant differences in injury and individual characteristics between men and women in this study. Women had twice the estimated rate of injury to men, and were more likely to require Spanish language materials. Improving communication for training and knowledge about the workers' compensation system appear to be high priorities in this population of injured janitorial service workers. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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