DURHAM N.C. —A novel study that examined the body weight of people who filed workers’ compensation claims found that obese employees not only file more such claims than do nonobese workers, but their medical costs are nearly seven times higher.
Obese workers hurt themselves on the job in far greater numbers by slipping, falling or lifting than do other employees, according to a study by Duke University Medical Center. —A novel study that examined the body weight of people who filed workers’ compensation claims found that obese employees not only file more such claims than do nonobese workers, but their medical costs are nearly seven times higher.
Slips and falls already are the No. 1 cause of injuries in the restaurant industry. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that three out of every 100 restaurant workers took at least one day off to recover from a slip or fall injury. —A novel study that examined the body weight of people who filed workers’ compensation claims found that obese employees not only file more such claims than do nonobese workers, but their medical costs are nearly seven times higher.
The Duke study examined 11,728 university employees who filed work-related medical- or injury-related workers’ compensation claims from 1997 to 2004. Researchers found that heavier workers—those with a body mass index, or BMI, of 40—filed 12 claims per 100 workers, compared with normal-weight workers, who represented an average of 5.8 claims per 100 in the sample. —A novel study that examined the body weight of people who filed workers’ compensation claims found that obese employees not only file more such claims than do nonobese workers, but their medical costs are nearly seven times higher.
The BMI is a medically accepted calculation of body fat in relation to height and weight for men and women, derived by dividing an individual’s height in inches into the number of pounds they weigh. A body mass between 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal weight. Overweight is 25-29.9. Obese is 30 and higher. —A novel study that examined the body weight of people who filed workers’ compensation claims found that obese employees not only file more such claims than do nonobese workers, but their medical costs are nearly seven times higher.
While obesity has been recognized as a public-health crisis for years, the Duke study is the first to trace the hazards of being overweight to workers’ compensation filings. —A novel study that examined the body weight of people who filed workers’ compensation claims found that obese employees not only file more such claims than do nonobese workers, but their medical costs are nearly seven times higher.
It’s widely known that obesity is bad for individuals, but being overweight isn’t just a personal medical problem, Dr. Truls Ostbye, a community and family medicine specialist, was quoted as saying in Occupational Hazards magazine. —A novel study that examined the body weight of people who filed workers’ compensation claims found that obese employees not only file more such claims than do nonobese workers, but their medical costs are nearly seven times higher.
In terms of lost days of work, obese people averaged 183.6 per 100 employees, compared with 14.19 per 100 for those in the recommended weight range. —A novel study that examined the body weight of people who filed workers’ compensation claims found that obese employees not only file more such claims than do nonobese workers, but their medical costs are nearly seven times higher.
When it came to medical costs paid through workers’ compensation, the average claim for the obese per 100 employees was $51,019, compared with $7,503 for the nonobese. —A novel study that examined the body weight of people who filed workers’ compensation claims found that obese employees not only file more such claims than do nonobese workers, but their medical costs are nearly seven times higher.
The strong link between obesity and workers’ compensation costs indicates that the maintenance of a healthy body weight is more than just important for workers, but also should also be a top priority for employers, Ostbye told the magazine. —A novel study that examined the body weight of people who filed workers’ compensation claims found that obese employees not only file more such claims than do nonobese workers, but their medical costs are nearly seven times higher.
The body parts most prone to injury among obese workers were the lower extremities, the wrists and hands, and the back, usually sustained through a slip or fall, which is the most common cause of job site injury for high-BMI individuals, the Duke study found. —A novel study that examined the body weight of people who filed workers’ compensation claims found that obese employees not only file more such claims than do nonobese workers, but their medical costs are nearly seven times higher.
