Years of productivity lost among injured workers in Washington State: Modeling disability burden in workers' compensation

Background Few studies have examined the impact of disability from nonfatal swork-related injuries and illnesses. We developed Years of Productivity L ost (YPL) as a measure of the burden of disability. Methods YPL was calculated for incident workers' compensation claims with c ompensable injuries filed in 1986 in Washington State. Final work disabilit y status was determined in June, 1993. We estimated YPL by adding actual ac cumulated time loss and future lost productivity predicted from permanent p artial disability awards and pensions. Results Back and neck sprains were associated with the highest YPL followed by sprains of the lower and upper extremities. Using actual accumulated ti me loss, we calculated 14,624 years of productivity lost for compensable in juries in 1986. After including predicted lost productivity, YPL ranged fro m 28,017 to 33,502 years. Conclusions YPL can be used to quantify, the burden of disability due to oc cupational injuries and illnesses and to prioritize efforts to prevent long -term disability. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.