Primer aims to help public health researchers understand workers’ comp

Washington – A new publication from NIOSH is intended to help public health researchers better understand workers’ compensation insurance and how records can be used to help prevent workplace illnesses and injuries.

Published Jan. 2, Workers’ Compensation Insurance: A Primer for Public Health provides a history of the U.S. workers’ comp system, including information by state, a description of various records and codes, and an overview of relevant public health surveillance and research.

One challenge for researchers and workers’ comp associations is difficulty combining data from different states. The report recommends developing more systematic collection of data and standardizing injury and medical codes, which would allow for collaboration across states.