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Intramural and extramural research/improvements . Beth Rogers Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists Counting Work-related Injuries and Illnesses: Taking Steps to Close the Gaps II April 17-18, 2013 Washington, D.C. . Overview. Background SOII history and outputs
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Intramural and extramural research/improvements Beth Rogers Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists Counting Work-related Injuries and Illnesses: Taking Steps to Close the Gaps II April 17-18, 2013 Washington, D.C.
Overview • Background • SOII history and outputs • Research goals and results • Recommendations and further research
Background • 1970s: Began Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII); periodic user concerns led to ROSH and expanded scope • Mid 2000s: Micro-record comparisons of SOII and workers’ comp (WC) report undercount: • Rosenman et al. (2006) • Boden and Ozonoff (2008) • 2008 and 2010: BLS reports on research
Congressional Action • Hearings • Additions to appropriations • BLS ($1 million for SOII undercount research) • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) • National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) • Request for GAO study of the accuracy of recordkeeping on employers’ OSHA logs
What is the SOII? • Mandatory annual establishment survey • Counts OSHA-recordable nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses • Based on OSHA records employers keep during the year • Includes employers not otherwise required to keep records • Collected soon after end of the year
Unique aspects of the SOII • Definitions come from OSHA • Consistent definitions and procedures across states • Worker injuries and illnesses are infrequent events • Rate 3.5 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers • Many employers report zero cases
SOII output • Annual establishment totals and rates by industry • “Summary” estimates • Case circumstances and worker characteristics for cases requiring days away from work • “Case and demographic” estimates • Microdata undercount studies have been based on the latter
Criticisms of SOII • Limited data on workplace illnesses • Restricted survey scope • Cases reported elsewhere but not in SOII • Cases reported neither in SOII nor in other systems
Defining the undercount • SOII undercount: Failure to capture cases that are within the scope of the survey • Total public burden undercount: Failure to report any occupational injury or illness • Focus of research – SOII undercount
Initial undercount research • In 2008, BLS initiated three types of research projects: matching, employer interviews and multisource • Conclusion of initial undercount research • 2012 SOII Undercount Research Meeting • Results and recommendations
Other research • Nestoriak and Pierce • Compared SOII and WC data in KY and WI • Explored three matching strategies • Macro • Micro • Hybrid • Implications for improving SOII
WC-SOII matching • Match and analyze microdata (KY, WA, CA) • Robust evidence of an undercount but measuring the magnitude is difficult • 40%-70% SOII capture rate • Issues matching administrative and survey data • Issues with WC data • Issues with the SOII
Employer interviews • Explore possible reasons for differences in reporting cases on OSHA logs, SOII, and State WC claims (KY, WA) • Loosely structured questionnaire, in person visits • Interviews provide qualitative context but no quantitative information
Multisource enumeration • Using multiple data sources to enumerate certain case types (CA, MA, WA) • Data from emergency department visits, hospital discharges, WC, SOII, others • Value in multisource for State-based surveillance and topical research • National multisource surveillance is not feasible (cost and consistent data availability)
Reasons for the discrepancy • SOII appears to capture everything on the OSHA log • Types of cases more likely to be missed by SOII • Much of undercount still unexplained
Consensus recommendations • Expand SOII data collection • Improve coding consistency of SOII • Work with OSHA to enhance recordkeeping • SOII supplements (CPS supplement) • Future research ideas (undercount trends, variations by state, employer attributes and practices)
Second round of research • Interview a large number of employers in MN, NY, OR, WA • Goal: Quantitative measures of employer characteristics, recordkeeping practices • Match WC-SOII for 12 years in WA • Goal: Analyze undercount trends over time • Pilot test auto-coding of SOII data • Goal: Improve classification consistency
Other recommended enhancements • Publish hospitalization data from OSHA logs • Goal: Improve collection/reporting of these data • Collect and publish case data for DJTR • Goal: Pilot test collection, estimation, and dissemination • Goal: Evaluate effect on current DAFW case data
Future research ideas • Expand auto-coding • Follow-back studies to capture injury and illness updates and incidents occurring late in the year • Expand collection of DJTR case detail • Explore ways to improve employer recordkeeping
Beth Rogers Occupational Safety and Health Statisticswww.bls.gov/iif202-691-5098rogers.elizabeth@bls.gov