title: Twenty years of work-related injury and illness among union carpenters in Washington State.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Individuals who work in the construction industry are at high risk of occupational injury. Robust surveillance systems are needed to monitor the experiences of these workers over time.
  
  
  METHODS
  We updated important surveillance data for a unique occupational cohort of union construction workers to provide information on long-term trends in their reported work-related injuries and conditions. Combining administrative data sources, we identified a dynamic cohort of union carpenters who worked in Washington State from 1989 through 2008, their hours worked by month, and their workers' compensation claims. Incidence rates of reported work-related injuries and illnesses were examined. Poisson regression was used to assess risk by categories of age, gender, time in the union, and calendar time contrasting medical only and paid lost time claims.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over the 20-year study period, 24,830 carpenters worked 192.4 million work hours. Work-related injuries resulting in medical care or paid lost time (PLT) from work occurred at a rate of 24.3 per 200,000 hr worked (95% CI: 23.5-25.0). Medical only claims declined 62% and PLT claims declined 77%; more substantive declines were seen for injuries resulting from being struck and falls to a lower level than from overexertion with lifting. Differences in risk based on union tenure and age diminished over time as well.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant declines in rates of reported work-related injuries and illnesses were observed over the 20-year period among these union carpenters. Greater declines were observed among workers with less union tenure and for claims resulting in PLT.
authors.affiliation: Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Amanda J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: McCoy
authors.forename: Kristen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Kucera
authors.forename: Ashley L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Schoenfisch
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Silverstein
authors.forename: Hester J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lipscomb
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D015331:Cohort Studies; D060389:Construction Industry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007750:Labor Unions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014861:Washington / Q000453:epidemiology; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D055815:Young Adult