This study demonstrated that workers' compensation claims data can provide insights into federal employees' workplace injuries and illnesses. Employing agencies, safety staff, and occupational clinicians can use these data to direct efforts to improve conditions to prevent injuries/illnesses, optimize programs for injured worker treatment, rehabilitation, accommodation, and stay-at-work or return-to-work programs. Objective: The purpose of this study was to understand federal workplace injury/illness trends. Methods: Over 1.5 million federal and Postal Service employee workers' compensation (WC) claims from 2007 to 2022 were linked to employment data and analyzed. Results: From 2007 to 2019, falls, slips, trips represented the highest proportion of claims (30.7%), followed by overexertion and bodily reaction (24.4%), unclassified (16.4%), contact with objects and equipment (13.1%), violence and other injuries by persons or animals (8.8%), transportation incidents (4.0%), exposure to harmful substances or environments (2.5%), and fires and explosions (0.24%). From 2020 to 2022, COVID-19 drove a major shift to exposure to harmful substances or environments representing the highest proportion of claims (44.3%). Conclusions: Claims data represent a potentially rich data source that employing agencies can use to focus prevention and treatment of injury/illness.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to understand federal workplace injury/illness trends. Methods: Over 1.5 million federal and Postal Service employee workers' compensation (WC) claims from 2007 to 2022 were linked to employment data and analyzed. Results: From 2007 to 2019, Falls, Slips, Trips represented the highest proportion of claims (30.7%), followed by Overexertion and Bodily Reaction (24.4%), Unclassified (16.4%), Contact with Objects and Equipment (13.1%), Violence and Other Injuries by Persons or Animals (8.8%), Transportation Incidents (4.0%), Exposure to Harmful Substances or Environments (2.5%), and Fires and Explosions (0.24%). From 2020 to 2022, COVID-19 drove a major shift to Exposure to Harmful Substances or Environments representing the highest proportion of claims (44.3%). Conclusions: Claims data represent a potentially rich data source that employing agencies can use to focus prevention and treatment of injury/illness.

Nguyen Hai Viet, de Haas Petra, Nguyen Hoa Binh, Nguyen Nhung Viet, Cobelens Frank G J, Mirtskhulava Veriko, Finlay Alyssa, Van Nguyen Hung, Huyen Pham T T, Tiemersma Edine W. BMC infectious diseases 2022 22(1) 506