Contingent workers: Workers' compensation data analysis strategies and limitations.
The growth of the contingent workforce presents many challenges in the occupational safety and health arena. State and federal laws impose obligations and rights on employees and employers, but contingent work raises issues regarding responsibilities to maintain a safe workplace and difficulties in collecting and reporting data on injuries and illnesses. Contingent work may involve uncertainty about the length of employment, control over the labor process, degree of regulatory, or statutory protections, and access to benefits under workers' compensation. The paper highlights differences in regulatory protections and benefits among various types of contingent workers and how these different arrangements affect safety incentives. It discusses challenges caused by contingent work for accurate data reporting in existing injury and illness surveillance and benefit programs, differences between categories of contingent work in their coverage in various data sources, and opportunities for overcoming obstacles to effectively using workers' compensation data.
SHARP Program, Department of Labor and Industries, Washington State, Olympia, Washington.
Michael
M
Foley
John
J
Ruser
Glenn
G
Shor
Harry
H
Shuford
Eric
E
Sygnatur
D003284:Contract Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004651:Employment / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010559:Personnel Management / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
contingent workers; professional employer organizations; surveillance; temporary workers; workers compensation