Unreported workers' compensation claims to the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses: Establishment factors.
BACKGROUND
Studies suggest employers underreport injuries to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII); less is known about reporting differences by establishment characteristics.


METHODS
We linked SOII data to Washington State workers' compensation claims data, using unemployment insurance data to improve linking accuracy. We used multivariable regression models to estimate incidence ratios (IR) of unreported workers' compensation claims for establishment characteristics.


RESULTS
An estimated 70% of workers' compensation claims were reported in SOII. Claims among state and local government establishments were most likely to be reported. Compared to large manufacturing establishments, unreported claims were most common among small educational services establishments (IR = 2.47, 95%CI: 1.52-4.01) and large construction establishments (IR = 2.05, 95%CI: 1.77-2.37).


CONCLUSIONS
Underreporting of workers' compensation claims to SOII varies by establishment characteristics, obscuring true differences in work injury incidence. Findings may differ from previous research due to differences in study methods.
['Wuellner|Sara E|SE|', 'Adams|Darrin A|DA|', 'Bonauto|David K|DK|']
D000062:Accidents, Occupational D006801:Humans D015994:Incidence D007344:Insurance Claim Reporting D009111:Local Government D066192:Manufacturing Industry D060051:Occupational Injuries D012044:Regression Analysis D012574:Schools D013219:State Government D014481:United States D014489:United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration D014861:Washington D014942:Workers' Compensation
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses occupational injury surveillance under-reporting workers’ compensation data