Sinks T, Mathias C G, Halperin W, Timbrook C, Newman S
J Occup Med. 1987 Jun;29(6):504-9.
The usefulness of workers' compensation claims for the surveillance of occupational injuries was evaluated by analyzing claims for cold injury. Five hundred ten claims filed in 1983 from 23 states participating in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Supplementary Data System and an additional 147 claims filed with the Division of Safety and Hygiene of the Industrial Commission of Ohio from Jan 1, 1984, to June 30, 1985, were examined. As expected, the number of injuries per winter day increased as temperature decreased and wind speed increased. The rate of injury began to increase when temperatures fell below 10 degrees F and wind speeds exceeded 10 mph. These weather conditions were milder than previously published cold hazard charts suggest. Frostbite injuries of the lower extremities occurred at milder temperatures, required more lost workdays, and were more costly than cold injuries to the head and face or to the upper extremities. Industries with the highest rates of injury included agriculture, oil and gas extraction, trucking and warehousing, protective services, and interurban transportation. Injuries during nonwinter months involved the processing, distribution, and preparation of food. Vehicle breakdown or contact with water, gasoline, alcohol, or cold water were noted as contributing factors on many of the compensation claims. This probe suggests that claims for workers' compensation adequately reflect the expected association of environmental factors and the occurrence of cold injury.
通过分析冻伤索赔情况，评估了工伤赔偿索赔在职业伤害监测方面的作用。对1983年来自参与劳工统计局补充数据系统的23个州提交的510份索赔，以及1984年1月1日至1985年6月30日向俄亥俄州工业委员会安全与卫生司提交的另外147份索赔进行了审查。不出所料，随着气温下降和风速增加，每个冬日的受伤人数也随之增加。当气温降至华氏10度以下且风速超过每小时10英里时，受伤率开始上升。这些天气状况比之前公布的寒冷危险图表所显示的更为温和。下肢冻伤发生时的气温更为温和，误工天数更多，且比头部、面部或上肢的冻伤成本更高。受伤率最高的行业包括农业、石油和天然气开采、货运和仓储、防护服务以及城市间运输。非冬季月份的受伤涉及食品加工、配送和准备。车辆故障或与水、汽油、酒精或冷水接触被视为许多赔偿索赔的促成因素。这项调查表明，工伤赔偿索赔充分反映了环境因素与冻伤发生之间的预期关联。
