Assessment of Workers?? Compensation Claims for Back Strains/Sprains

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Abstract
Workers compensation claim data for 1979 obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics'' Supplementary Data System (SDS) were utilized to examine the demographic and occupational incidence of back strains/sprains among USA industrial employees covered by state compensation systems. These data were combined with estimated employment figures to provide incidence ratios, which allowed better approximations of industry- and occupation-specific risk. Industries found to have the largest incidence ratios were construction (1.6 claims/100 workers) and mining (1.5 claims/100 workers). Occupations with the largest ratios were miscellaneous laborers (12.3 claims/100 workers) and garbage collectors (11.1 claims/100 workers). The 285,468 compensation claims due to back strains/sprains filed in the 26 SDS states in 1979 suggested that back injuries continued to be a large and costly problem for USA workers and their employers.