Occupational impairment and disability among applicants for Social Security disability benefits in Pennsylvania.
OBJECTIVE
The study goal was to assess the extent of workplace-related disease and injury among Social Security Disability Insurance applicants.


METHODS
A convenience sample of 240 consecutive applicants to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Disability Determination was studied to assess the prevalence of work-related disorders. An applicant had a work-related condition if there was a clear statement of a workplace illness or injury associated with the impairment, or if the applicant had worked at an occupation with a high likelihood of exposures known or suspected to contribute to the condition of interest.


RESULTS
Of the 240 applicants, 166 (69%) were awarded disability insurance benefits; a total of 27 (11%) had work-related conditions, including 14 of the 166 (8%) who were found to be disabled. Forty percent of the 27 had a disorder that was musculoskeletal in origin. Of 59 applicants with cancer, 10.2% had some work-related etiological component. Of an estimated 71,680 adult disability insurance applicants in Pennsylvania in 1990, 5134 new insurance beneficiaries had a projected occupationally related disability.


CONCLUSIONS
A substantial number of applicants for disability insurance benefits suffer from an impairment caused or exacerbated by prior workplace exposures. These individuals may serve as sentinel events for initiating follow-up surveillance and prevention activities.
Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19129.
E A
EA
Bresnitz
H
H
Frumkin
L
L
Goldstein
D
D
Neumark
M
M
Hodgson
C
C
Needleman
D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007345:Insurance Claim Review; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D009790:Occupations; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012943:Social Security; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control