Free calculator aimed at helping make the case for worker health programs

Aurora, CO — A new, free online tool is intended to help safety professionals make a stronger business case for employer investment in safety, health and wellness programs.

The Health Risk Calculator – developed by the Colorado School of Public Health’s Center for Health, Work and Environment in collaboration with Pinnacol Assurance, a workers’ comp insurance carrier in Colorado – determines how employee health is associated with workers’ compensation costs, as well as an organization’s risk. It’s based on a statistical algorithm.

Researchers at the center used a database of nearly 17,000 workers who participated in Pinnacol’s free worksite wellness program for policyholders from May 2010 to December 2014. Each employee completed a baseline health risk assessment survey when they started the program. The data collected was then matched to the respondents’ workers’ comp claims filed with Pinnacol within one year after the survey.

Using this data, the researchers estimated the probability of a workers’ comp claim within a year based on various demographic and health risk variables. “This resulted in an average probability of a claim across a variety of companies and employees,” the center says.

To obtain your organization’s specific health risk calculation:

• Enter your data into the calculator. For example, the number of workers who have diabetes.
• The probability is multiplied by the number of employers in your organization.
• That result is multiplied by the average cost of a Pinnacol claim and expressed as a unit per 100 employees.

Users can also access resources for improving worker health and safety to reduce workers’ comp costs.