Productivity Losses Due to Injuries
Cost of Injuries Navigation
- Economic Cost of Injures
- Cost of Injuries
- Productivity Losses
- Cost Among Children and Adolescents
- Cost Among Adults
- Cost Among Older Adults
Injury and violence are a serious threat to the health and well-being of all Americans. Injuries can result in both temporary and permanent disability causing pain, suffering and grief for the people who are injured and their friends and family. When injuries occur, injured persons may also lose part or all of their productivity potential. Losses in productivity due to injury may include lost wages and accompanying fringe benefits, as well as the limited ability to perform normal household responsibilities. To the degree that injuries prevent or deter individuals from producing goods and services in the marketplace, the public sector, or the household, the value of these losses is a cost borne by society.
The Problem
- About 160,000 people die each year in the United States due to injuries and millions more are injured and survive (WISQARS 2006). In the year 2000, an estimated 50.1 million injuries required medical treatment (Finkelstein 2006).
- About 29 percent of deaths and disabling unintentional injuries involve workers off the job (National Safety Council 2006).
- An injured worker will miss an estimated average of 11.1 days due to the injury (Finkelstein 2006).
- For non-fatal injuries, productivity losses represent the value of goods and services not produced because of injury-related illness and disability (Finkelstein 2006).
- Productivity losses associated with injury-related premature deaths represent the value of goods and services never produced because of the fatalities (Finkelstein 2006).
The Cost
- Ultimately, injuries that occurred in 2000 will cause an estimated $326 billion in productivity losses (Finkelstein 2006).
- The value of productivity losses associated with injuries in 2000, even for less severe injuries, far exceeds the $80.2 billion in costs associated with medical treatment (Finkelstein 2006).
- Lost productivity accounts for 86% of the total costs of injuries for persons aged 25 to 44 years in 2000 (Finkelstein 2006).
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Injuries among males in 2000 accounted for $238.7 billion in productivity losses, 73%, of all productivity losses. This differential is partially driven by the different levels of earning potentials between men and women (Finkelstein 2006).
Preventing Injuries and Their Economic Costs
CDC is conducting research and programs to identify effective prevention strategies for reducing the burden of unintentional and violent injuries. Information about CDC efforts to prevent injuries and violence can be found at www.cdc.gov/injury; a few of these interventions are highlighted here:
Heads Up: Brain Injury in Your Practice Tool Kit
At least 1.4 million people sustain traumatic brain injuries in this country every year. Of those, approximately 1.1 million, or 75 percent, sustain a mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). Many people with MTBI may experience long-term problems such as persistent headache, pain, vision or hearing problems, memory problems, or sleep disturbances. They may also have difficulty returning to routine, daily activities and may be unable to return to work for many weeks or months. The CDC has developed a physician tool kit to improve clinical diagnosis and management of MTBI. The kit contains clinical
information, patient information in English and Spanish, scientific literature, and a CD-ROM and is available on-line at
www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/tbi_toolkit/toolkit.htm.
Smoke alarm installation and fire-safety education
Since 1998, CDC has funded smoke alarm installation and fire safety education programs in high-risk communities—those with fire death rates higher than state and national averages and median household incomes below the poverty level. An informal sample of program homes found that
1,053 lives have been saved thus far. Program staff have canvassed more than
380,047 homes and installed almost 269,990 long-lasting smoke alarms in high-risk homes, targeting households with children ages five years and younger and adults ages 65 years and older. Fire safety messages have reached millions of people as a result
of these programs. CDC funded 14 states from 1998 to 2000. Based on the success of these programs, CDC awarded funding to 13 states in 2001 to install long-lasting, lithium-powered smoke alarms and to provide fire-safety education in homes in high-risk communities. In 2002, 3 additional states were funded for these activities, bringing the total number of CDC-funded states to 16. For more information about preventing residential fires visit www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/fire.htm.
Developing a National Violent Death Reporting System
Currently CDC funds seventeen states as part of the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). These states gather, share, and link state-level data about violence from medical examiners, coroners, police, crime labs, and death certificates. NVDRS enables CDC and states to access vital, state-level information to gain a more accurate understanding of the problem of violence. This will enable policy makers and community leaders to make informed decisions about violence prevention strategies and programs. For more information about the National Violent Death Reporting System visit
www.cdc.gov/ncipc/profiles/nvdrs/facts.htm.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online]. [cited 2006 Apr 5]. Available from URL: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.
Finkelstein EA, Corso PS, Miller TR, Associates. Incidence and Economic Burden of Injuries in the United States. New York: Oxford University Press; 2006.
National Safety Council. Injury Facts, 2005-2006 Edition. Itasca, IL: NSC Press; 2006.
Page last modified:July 09, 2007