284200
State workers' compensation programs: Four decades later, still falling short of objectives
Methods: Literature and reports will be reviewed, and recommendations from experts and injured workers will be sought.
Results: Four decades later, workers' compensation programs still fail to meet the Commission's five objectives. Many workers with occupational injuries and diseases are never compensated. Among those who are, many still face insufficient medical care and economic hardship. Delays and emotional trauma are common. As a whole, the system fails individual workers while falling far short of its potential to encourage workplace safety.
Conclusion: US workers' compensation programs do not meet the Commission's five objectives. As a result, the burden of unsafe workplaces is distributed inequitably; workers and their families bear a large share of the burden, and this contributes to health disparities. The inequitable distribution prevents the workers' compensation system from achieving its potential to encourage workplace health and safety improvements.
Learning Objectives:
Describe the ways in which the workers' compensation system fails to achieve the objectives stated by the 1972 National Commission on State Workmen's Compensation.
Keywords: Workers' Compensation, Occupational Health
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been a researcher on occupational health and safety topics for six years.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.