Economics
Activities: NIOSH Research Projects
Descriptions of some of the research projects that NIOSH supported in FY2007 are presented below. Only projects with a significant economics component are included in these descriptions.
NIOSH Research Projects
Protecting Coal Miners from Rock Falls with Roof Screen
Preliminary research conducted by NIOSH has shown that routine installation of roof screen could prevent the vast majority of rock fall injuries that occur in coal mines every year. NIOSH also has identified a number of barriers which have so far prevented screening from being widely accepted. For example, screen can be time-consuming and cumbersome to install. If the screening process slows down mining, the costs to the mining company also can be substantial. The project’s overall goal is to increase the use of roof screen, by publicizing its safety advantages while developing technology that will remove the barriers to screen installation. One of the project’s objectives is to conduct economic analyses, focusing on the costs of rock fall injuries, that will help provide mining companies with better estimates of the true costs and benefits of screening.
Methods and Analysis of Economic Impact of Workplace Injury
Studies will be conducted to determine the economic consequences of occupational fatal and nonfatal injury on workers, their families, and employers that can be used to improve program planning, intervention evaluation, and policy analysis. Specific projects include developing or improving economic evaluation models to measure the economic burden of occupational injury and fatality to the employer, including CDC guidelines for a standardized business case. The utility of an existing fatal occupational injury cost calculator will be improved by incorporating State wage data to provide more precise cost estimates by State. Additionally, the cost model will be modified to calculate the burden of nonfatal occupational injury. Results will be made available through NIOSH documents, peer-reviewed journal articles, and analytical tools provided to the general public and individual Federal and State agencies.
Slips and Falls Prevention in Health Care Workers
The objective of this study is to develop, implement, and evaluate a slip, trip, and fall (STF) prevention program in three hospitals. A case-crossover method will be used to interview injured workers and identify specific risk factors for STF incidents. A laboratory study will examine the slip-resistance characteristics of six nursing shoes on samples of hospital flooring. Slip-resistant shoes, mats, an aggressive housekeeping program based on a written policy, audits to identify STF hazards, prompt cleaning of spills and debris, keeping stairs and walkways clear, and other countermeasures will be introduced in the three hospitals. The impact of the intervention will be assessed by comparing the 6-year pre-intervention with the 4-year post-intervention injury experience.
Effectiveness of Training and Controls in Nursing Homes
The purpose of this project is to evaluate engineering controls, training, and information dissemination programs for injury prevention in a sample of nursing homes in the State of Ohio. Injury experience will be derived from workers’ compensation claims. The Bureau of Workers’ Compensation in Ohio makes available intervention programs for targeted industries, including nursing homes, but lacks resources to evaluate their effectiveness. Programs sponsored by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) also may be available. Workers’ compensation, OSHA-related, and other interventions that employers have implemented will be classified and described, as will their workers’ compensation claim rates and costs over time. The purpose will be to estimate what effects various intervention programs have had on reducing workers’ compensation claims and costs.
