O5A.4 Overexertion related age-specific wmsds claims among construction workers in ohio, USA: 2007–2013

Background As the proportion of older workers in the U.S. increases, understanding the health and safety needs of an aging workforce is critical, especially in the hazardous and physically demanding construction industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), in 2016 the rate of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in construction was 32.7 per 10 000 full-time equivalent workers, which was 11% higher than the rate for all industries combined. The objective of this study was to examine the rate and cost of WMSDs due to overexertion, the leading cause of WMSDs, among construction workers by age group in Ohio using workers’ compensation claims. Methods Overexertion related WMSDs allowed claims, submitted to Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation (OBWC) by workers in the construction industry for injuries occurring from 2007–2013 were analyzed to compute rates of allowed claims and claim costs by age group. The American Community Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau was used to determine the proportion of construction workers in each age group in Ohio. For this study, age was categorized as 14–24, 25–34, 35–44, 45–54 and ≥55 years old. Results There were 7434 overexertion related WMSD claims accepted by OBWC for construction workers who were injured due to overexertion in 2007–2013. Workers 35–44 years old experienced the highest claim rate of 7.28 per 1000 for WMSDs due to overexertion. However, the highest mean medical compensation cost for WMSD claims due to overexertion was for construction workers 55 years and older. Conclusion Overexertion-related WMSD claims appear to rise and then fall with age (≥55). There is a need to understand how aging interacts with WMSDs risk factors. Age-specific interventions to reduce WMSDs may help to retain older and skilled workers whose knowledge and experience might otherwise be lost when workers need to leave work because of debilitating WMSDs.