Citation

Dong XS, Fujimoto A, Ringen K, Stafford E, Platner JW, Gittleman JL, Wang X. Am. J. Ind. Med. 2011; 54(5): 339-349.

Affiliation

CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland. sdong@cpwr.com.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/ajim.20928

PMID

21246588

Abstract

BACKGROUND: There is convincing evidence that occupational injury and illness rates, particularly those reported by employers in the BLS' Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), substantially underestimate the true magnitude of injury and illness in the construction industry. METHODS: Fifteen years of data from five large nationally representative data sources were analyzed, including SOII, CFOI, CBP, CPS, and MEPS. Regression trends and ratio analyses were conducted, and stratified by establishment size and Hispanic ethnicity. RESULTS: Small construction establishments were most likely to under-report injuries. The SOII data only captured 25% of severe injuries among Hispanic workers, and 60% among white workers in small construction establishments. CONCLUSIONS: Under-reporting is pervasive in the construction industry for small establishments and Hispanic workers. Given that small establishments are predominant in the U.S. construction industry, they should be the focus of a larger effort to identify the true extent of construction-related injuries. Am. J. Ind. Med. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Language: en