Premium
Age in relation to worker compensation costs in the construction industry
Author(s) -
Schwatka Natalie V.,
Butler Lesley M.,
Rosecrance John C.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.22093
Subject(s) - indemnity , medicine , workers' compensation , workforce , medical costs , occupational medicine , compensation (psychology) , occupational safety and health , demography , actuarial science , environmental health , occupational exposure , business , health care , pathology , economics , psychology , sociology , psychoanalysis , economic growth
Background A better understanding of how workers' compensation (WC) costs are affected by an aging US workforce is needed, especially for physically demanding industries, such as construction. Methods The relationship between age and injury type on claim costs was evaluated using a database of 107,064 Colorado WC claims filed between 1998 and 2008 among construction workers. Results Mean WC costs increased with increasing age for total cost ( P < 0.0001), medical costs ( P < 0.0001), and indemnity costs ( P < 0.0001). For each one‐year increase in age, indemnity, and medical costs increased by 3.5% and 1.1%, respectively. For specific injury types, such as strains and contusions, the association between age and indemnity costs was higher among claimants aged ≥65 compared to claimants aged 18–24. Conclusions Our findings suggest that specific injury types may be partially responsible for the higher indemnity costs among older construction workers, compared with their younger coworkers. Am. J. Ind. Med. 56:356–366, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.