Use of Michigan Worker Compensation Data for Surveillance of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses

Michigan State University, East Lansing MI

Investigators

Abstract

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Michigan State University (MSU) acting as the bona fide agent of the Michigan Department of Community Health is partnering with the Michigan Worker Compensation Agency (WCA), Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB) and Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) to respond to Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) RFA-OH-14-007 on Workers' Compensation Surveillance. The proposal will address all ten National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) industry sectors and three of the cross-sector programs; musculoskeletal disease, surveillance and traumatic injury. Our proposal has three specific aims: 1) Develop rates of workers' compensation (WC) claims per full time equivalents (FTE) by industry and employer size; 2) Develop a report of three years' worth of data that includes recommendations for follow-up interventions; and 3) Develop publically accessible electronic WC case datasets. MSU has a twenty seven history of working with workers' compensation data as part of the state's multi-data source surveillance system. The same team at MSU and MDCH that will carry out this project has worked together on occupational health surveillance for more than 13 years. After development of the report and publicly accessible WC case datasets we will disseminate the information to employers, employees, health and safety professionals, public health professionals and researchers. MIOSHA will be involved in assisting to determine follow-up interventions.