Analysis of construction worker injury information from a workers' compensation database

In an effort to identify profiles of types and severity of injuries experienced by construction workers, my study sought to describe injuries sustained by construction workers at various occupational experience levels (e.g., laborers, apprentices, foremen), who performed in various occupational work areas (e.g., carpentry, masonry, electrical work) on construction sites. This study examined workers' compensation (WC) claims for the 46,056 construction workers. Claims information was provided by a large workers' compensation insurance provider. Injury frequencies and injury severity levels were calculated and compared across gender, age, job tenure (i.e. , time between date of hire and date of injury), body region effected by injury, specific body part injured, nature of injury, cause of injury, and agent of injury. I used claims data reported to a large private insurance company according to National Council on Compensation Insurance job classifications. All injuries were examined as well as injuries sustained to each of six body regions: head; neck; trunk; upper extremities; lower extremities; and multiple body regions or body systems (MBRBS). Injured workers were generally young, averaging 37 years. Older workers tended to sustain more severe injuries; especially injuries to the neck, trunk, and lower extremities. Neck, MBRBS, and trunk injuries were the most severe injuries among the six body regions. Laborers sustained an inordinate amount of injuries to each of the body regions. They also sustained some of the most severe injuries to all six body regions. Journeymen sustained the most severe injuries to the upper extremities, as well as having the most severe MBRBS injuries. Injuries to the brain, cervical vertebrae, and heart were the most severe injuries. The eyes, thumb, and sacrum and/or coccyx, sustained the least severe injuries. Crushing to multiple body regions and to the head and myocardial infarctions were the most severe injuries. The occupational work area of the worker at the time of injury had no effect on the severity of the injury sustained.