Table 3.
Workforce reintegration, return-to-work interruption, and reinjury, as reported by Washington State workers surveyed about a year after workers’ compensation claim closure with a permanent partial disability (PPD) award; crude odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) comparing response patterns for workers with a higher degree of whole body impairment (≥10% WBI) to those with a lower degree of impairment (WBI <10%)
| Survey question | N | Overall (N=598) | WBI <10% (N=464) | WBI ≥10% (N=134) | Crude OR (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | n (%) | n (%) | |||
| Working for pay when interviewed | 589 | ||||
| Currently working | 516 (87.6) | 402 (87.6) | 114 (87.7) | 1.01 | |
| Not currently working | 73 (12.4) | 57 (12.4) | 16 (12.3) | (0.56, 1.83) | |
| Current/most recent employment type | 590 | ||||
| Full-time traditional | 487 (82.5) | 381 (83.2) | 106 (80.3) | 0.82 | |
| Part-time, temporary, seasonal, or self-employed | 103 (17.5) | 77 (16.8) | 26 (19.7) | (0.50, 1.35) | |
| Union membership | 588 | ||||
| Currently a union member | 250 (42.5) | 191 (41.9) | 59 (44.7) | 1.12 | |
| Not currently a union member | 338 (57.5) | 265 (58.1) | 73 (55.3) | (0.76, 1.66) | |
| Industry sector now versus when injureda | 588 | ||||
| Industry sector now different than when injured | 258 (43.9) | 201 (44.1) | 57 (43.2) | 0.96 | |
| Industry sector not different | 330 (56.1) | 255 (55.9) | 75 (56.8) | (0.65, 1.43) | |
| Occupation now versus when injured | 588 | ||||
| Occupation now different than when injured | 177 (30.1) | 126 (27.5) | 51 (39.2) | 1.70 | |
| Occupation not different | 411 (69.9) | 332 (72.5) | 79 (60.8) | (1.13, 2.56) | |
| Employer for initial RTW versus when injured | 591 | ||||
| Initial RTW with different employer | 166 (28.1) | 121 (26.4) | 45 (34.1) | 1.44 | |
| Initial RTW with same employer | 425 (71.9) | 338 (73.6) | 87 (65.9) | (0.95, 2.19) | |
| New work injuriesb since claim closure | 590 | ||||
| One or more new work injuries | 79 (13.4) | 60 (13.1) | 19 (14.5) | 1.13 | |
| No new work injuries | 511 (86.6) | 399 (86.9) | 112 (85.5) | (0.65, 1.97) | |
| Risk of being reinjured at work due to impairment | 569 | ||||
| At higher risk now compared to before injury | 371 (65.2) | 285 (64.2) | 86 (68.8) | 1.23 | |
| Not at higher risk now compared to before injury | 198 (34.8) | 159 (35.8) | 39 (31.2) | (0.80, 1.88) | |
| Risk of being reinjured at work due to impairment | 561 | ||||
| At higher risk compared to others doing same job | 305 (54.4) | 236 (53.9) | 69 (56.1) | 1.09 | |
| Not at higher risk compared to others doing same job | 256 (45.6) | 202 (46.1) | 54 (43.9) | (0.73, 1.64) | |
| Risk of losing current job due to impairment | 500c | ||||
| At higher risk due to impairment | 102 (20.4) | 72 (18.5) | 30 (27.3) | 1.66 | |
| Not at higher risk due to impairment | 398 (79.6) | 318 (81.5) | 80 (72.7) | (1.01, 2.71) | |
| Will be working in 6 months | 567 | ||||
| Certain | 456 (80.4) | 355 (80.7) | 101 (79.5) | 0.93 | |
| Uncertain | 111 (19.6) | 85 (19.3) | 26 (20.5) | (0.57, 1.52) | |
RTW, returned to work; CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; PPD, permanent partial disability; WBI, whole body impairment.
Survey response for industry sector was compared to administrative workers’ compensation data for industry sector when injured.
For this question, qualifying work injuries were defined as those resulting in at least one missed day from work.
Queried only if currently working.
Note: In each unadjusted logistic regression model, the independent variable was WBI percentage, comparing responses for workers with higher WBI to those with lower WBI (the reference category). ORs are shown on the row containing the response that was coded as 1; CIs are shown on the row containing the response that was coded as 0. Column percentages do not always sum to exactly 100% due to rounding.