Work-Related Burns in Washington State, 1994 to 1998

This article describes an investigation of work-related burns in Washington State during 1994-1998. Workers' compensation data were used to describe the general characteristics of burn injuries, estimate industrial claims rates, and compare nonhospitalized and hospitalized burn cases. The compl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of occupational and environmental medicine 2002-07, Vol.44 (7), p.692-699
Main Authors: Baggs, James, Curwick, Christy, Silverstein, Barbara
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Burns
Burns - economics
Burns - epidemiology
Burns - etiology
Databases, Factual
Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Occupational accidents
Occupational Exposure - adverse effects
Occupations
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents
Washington - epidemiology
Workers' Compensation - economics
Workers' Compensation - statistics & numerical data
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Summary:This article describes an investigation of work-related burns in Washington State during 1994-1998. Workers' compensation data were used to describe the general characteristics of burn injuries, estimate industrial claims rates, and compare nonhospitalized and hospitalized burn cases. The completeness of workers' compensation data as a sourc for surveillance was evaluated. During 1994-1998, a total of 20,213 burn claims were accepted by the workers' compensation system. Hospitalized burn cases represented only 1.5% of burn claims but incurred 55 % of the costs. In addition, workers ' compensation data underestimated the frequency and rate of burns. Although workers' compensation claims rates decreased during 1994-1998, work-related burns remain a problem in Washington State. Several industries (eg, roofing, foundries, and aluminum smelting) were identified as priorities for prevention of burn hospitalizations, which incur the greater cost and time loss.
ISSN:1076-2752
1536-5948
DOI:10.1097/00043764-200207000-00017