Injury claims from steep slope logging in the United States

Abstract

Logging is one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States. Although logging injuries within the U.S. have decreased over the last 20 years, injuries in this sector continue to exceed the rate of total recordable cases for all U.S. industries combined. Methods: Workers’ Compensation injury claim data from two workers’ compensation providers, which cover companies’ active in the logging industry of Montana and Idaho were obtained. All injury and fatality claims occurring from July 2010 to June 2014 were obtained from companies in the logging industry (NAICS 113). Injury claim data from each company contained information on demographics, variables related to the time, type and source, of injury, as well as the cost associated with each injury claim. Results: A total of 801 workers’ compensation claims were analyzed for the time period July 2010 to June 2015. The most common nature of injury were sprain/strain injuries, followed by contusions, and lacerations. Inexperienced workers (>6 months experience) accounted for over 25% of claims. Fatalities had the highest median claim cost ($274,411 USD). Conclusions: Injury prevention efforts in the logging industry within the Intermountain region should be focused on early training, engineering controls, and administrative controls; all designed to promote a culture and climate of safety, communication, and shared responsibility. The results of this project were used as the basis and justification for the development and implementation targeted safety interventions addressing the specific safety issues associated with logging in the Intermountain region.