Underreporting of Work-Related Injury or Illness to Workers??? Compensation: Individual and Industry Factors

TLDR

The study quantified how often work‑related injuries or illnesses are underreported to workers’ compensation. The authors analyzed 2,612 Washington State workers surveyed in 2002, using logistic regression to identify factors linked to filing workers’ compensation claims. Among respondents, 13% reported a work‑related injury or illness, but only 52% filed a claim; overweight and married workers and those in certain industries were more likely to file, indicating that individual and occupational factors influence underreporting.

Abstract

Objective: We quantified the underreporting of work-related injury or illness to workers' compensation (WC). Methods: Using data from 2612 wage-earning respondents who participated in the 2002 Washington State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, we assessed work-related injury or illness in the previous year and identified the factors associated with WC claim filing by logistic regression. Results: The self-reported rate of work-related injury or illness of respondents was 13%. Among those who had a work-related injury or illness, 52% filed a WC claim. After adjustment for age, gender, and race, those who filed WC claims were more likely to be overweight and married. WC claim filing varies considerably across industry and occupation groups holding all other measured factors constant. Conclusions: Individual and industry/occupation factors are related to underreporting of work-related injury or illness to the WC system.