Year of Publication

2016

College

Public Health

Date Available

7-19-2016

Degree Name

Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)

Committee Chair

David Mannino, MD

Committee Member

Terry L. Bunn, PhD

Committee Member

Glyn Caldwell, MD

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Data collected through workers’ compensation may be useful for occupational injury surveillance. This study examined whether differences existed between the public and private sectors of the security and law enforcement industry in Kentucky.

Methods: Using a cross-­‐sectional design, workers’ compensation data from the Kentucky Department of Workers’ Claims was analyzed to evaluate differences in demographic and injury characteristics, as well as award outcomes, stratified by industry sector. The dataset included all workers’ compensation first reports of injury and claims filed by security and law enforcement personnel in Kentucky from 2005 to 2015. Statistical analyzes included chi-­‐square and logistic regression.

Results: When adjusting for gender, age, nature of injury, cause of injury, and body part injured, the estimated odds that a first report resulted in an adjudicated award was observed to be 1.334 times larger [95% CI: (1.069, 1.666), (p=0.011)] in the private sector, compared to the public sector.

Conclusion: A statistically significant difference in the estimated, adjusted odds of a first report of injury resulting in an adjudicated award was observed between public and private sector law enforcement. Further studies are necessary to better understand contributing factors to the variation observed between the industry sectors.

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