TABLE 2. Age-specific costs of work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD) claims from overexertion among construction workers, by diagnosis — Ohio, 2007–2017.
| Claim | Cost per claim ($),* by age group (yrs) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18–24 | 25–34 | 35–44 | 45–54 | 55–64 | |
| Medical incurred cost (all diagnoses) | 2,031 | 5,893 | 9,611 | 11,471 | 10,446 |
| Medical cost by diagnosis category | |||||
| Spinal disc disorders | 22,272 | 58,169 | 66,306 | 70,422 | 54,379 |
| Upper extremity sprains | 1,462 | 3,195 | 6,216 | 7,783 | 9,095 |
| Lower extremity sprains | 1,269 | 4,240 | 3,229 | 2,218 | 1,604 |
| Back sprain | 1,102 | 1,369 | 2,187 | 1,918 | 1,776 |
| Other overexertion WMSDs† | 3,522 | 4,391 | 8,927 | 11,987 | 10,198 |
| Indemnity incurred cost (all diagnoses) | 1,461 | 5,918 | 10,749 | 14,461 | 15,126 |
| Indemnity incurred cost by diagnosis category | |||||
| Disc disorders | 26,127 | 62,991 | 77,538 | 90,859 | 100,709 |
| Upper extremity sprains | 717 | 2,712 | 5,147 | 7,500 | 10,593 |
| Lower extremity sprains | 586 | 3,352 | 1,507 | 845 | 1,322 |
| Back sprain | 535 | 1,088 | 2,474 | 3,764 | 1,287 |
| Other overexertion WMSDs† | 2,847 | 4,483 | 11,537 | 15,869 | 13,454 |
| Total cost (all diagnoses) | 3,492 | 11,811 | 20,359 | 25,932 | 25,572 |
| Total cost by diagnosis category | |||||
| Spinal disc disorders | 48,400 | 121,159 | 143,845 | 161,281 | 155,088 |
| Upper extremity sprains | 2,179 | 5,907 | 11,362 | 15,284 | 19,688 |
| Lower extremity sprains | 1,855 | 7,592 | 4,736 | 3,063 | 2,925 |
| Back sprain | 1,637 | 2,457 | 4,661 | 5,682 | 3,062 |
| Other overexertion WMSDs† | 6,369 | 8,874 | 20,464 | 27,857 | 23,652 |
| Cost per FTE | |||||
| Medical incurred cost (all diagnoses) | 9.22 | 32.71 | 60.54 | 68.37 | 51.09 |
| Medical Incurred cost by diagnosis category | |||||
| Spinal disc disorders | 1.72 | 19.60 | 31.15 | 31.79 | 19.69 |
| Upper extremity sprains | 1.94 | 4.65 | 11.52 | 14.51 | 15.15 |
| Lower extremity sprains | 0.28 | 0.60 | 0.58 | 0.44 | 0.28 |
| Back sprain | 2.28 | 3.63 | 5.38 | 3.75 | 2.41 |
| Other overexertion WMSDs† | 3.00 | 4.23 | 11.91 | 17.87 | 13.55 |
| Indemnity incurred cost (all diagnoses) | 6.63 | 32.85 | 67.71 | 86.19 | 73.97 |
| Indemnity incurred cost by diagnosis category | |||||
| Spinal disc disorders | 2.02 | 21.22 | 36.42 | 41.02 | 36.47 |
| Upper extremity sprains | 0.95 | 3.95 | 9.54 | 13.98 | 17.64 |
| Lower extremity sprains | 0.13 | 0.47 | 0.27 | 0.17 | 0.23 |
| Back sprain | 1.10 | 2.89 | 6.09 | 7.35 | 1.75 |
| Other overexertion WMSDs† | 2.42 | 4.32 | 15.39 | 23.66 | 17.88 |
| Total cost (all diagnoses) | 15.85 | 65.56 | 128.26 | 154.56 | 125.05 |
| Total cost by diagnosis category | |||||
| Spinal disc disorders | 3.75 | 40.82 | 67.57 | 72.81 | 56.16 |
| Upper extremity sprains | 2.89 | 8.60 | 21.06 | 28.50 | 32.79 |
| Lower extremity sprains | 0.40 | 1.07 | 0.85 | 0.61 | 0.51 |
| Back sprain | 3.38 | 6.52 | 11.48 | 11.10 | 4.16 |
| Other overexertion WMSDs† | 5.43 | 8.55 | 27.29 | 41.54 | 31.43 |
Abbreviation: FTE = full-time employee.
* Costs were total incurred costs as of June 30, 2019, which include all costs paid up to that time, plus the amount set aside for reserves to pay projected future costs of the same set of claims.
† Other overexertion WMSDs include carpal tunnel syndrome, diseases of musculoskeletal and connective tissues, hernia of abdominal cavity, soft tissue/enthesopathy, other sprains, dislocation, spinal osteoarthritis, diseases of the nervous system and sense organ, injury to nerves and spinal cord, knee derangement, other joint disorders, and symptoms, signs, and ill-defined conditions, not elsewhere classified.