title: The effectiveness of insurer-supported safety and health engineering controls in reducing workers' compensation claims and costs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study evaluated the effectiveness of a program in which a workers' compensation (WC) insurer provided matching funds to insured employers to implement safety/health engineering controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pre- and post-intervention WC metrics were compiled for the employees designated as affected by the interventions within 468 employers for interventions occurring from 2003 to 2009. Poisson, two-part, and linear regression models with repeated measures were used to evaluate differences in pre- and post-data, controlling for time trends independent of the interventions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For affected employees, total WC claim frequency rates (both medical-only and lost-time claims) decreased 66%, lost-time WC claim frequency rates decreased 78%, WC paid cost per employee decreased 81%, and WC geometric mean paid claim cost decreased 30% post-intervention. Reductions varied by employer size, specific industry, and intervention type.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The insurer-supported safety/health engineering control program was effective in reducing WC claims and costs for affected employees.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies.
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Wurzelbacher
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Bertke
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Lampl
authors.forename: P Timothy
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Bushnell
authors.forename: Alysha R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Meyers
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Robins
authors.forename: Ibraheem S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Al-Tarawneh
mesh_terms: D006804:Ergonomics; D006801:Humans; D007343:Insurance Carriers; D007345:Insurance Claim Review; D016272:Occupational Health; D009820:Ohio; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: engineering controls; ergonomics; prevention effectiveness; safety; workers' compensation