The number of Connecticut workers getting sick on the job is falling, but still ranks higher than the national average, a new study shows.
The study by a pair of University of Connecticut Health Center researchers using state Labor Department data for 2008, the latest available, shows a 10 percent drop in the 3,600 workers who reported an occupational illness, the study found.
It was also a 26 percent decline since peaking at more than 4,800 reported cases in 2005.
Still, Connecticut reported 26.3 illnesses per 10,000, which is 12 percent higher than the national average of 23.4 illnesses per 10,000 workers. These rates do not reflect the much larger category of traumatic occupational injuries which are discussed in a separate annual report issued by the state labor department.Â
The Occupational Disease in Connecticut: 2010 report is prepared for the Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Commission by occupational and environmental experts Tim Morse and Paula Schenck of the University of Connecticut Health Center.
They found that musculoskeletal disorders, in particular carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis, were the most common illnesses reported. Repetitive motion was the most common cause of the disorders.
“Musculoskeletal disease related to occupational conditions is often times preventable with attention to ergonomic factors in the workplace,” says Morse. Ergonomic factors include forceful movements, posture and vibration as well as repetitive motion.  “Because these factors are not thought of as obviously related to health risk in some work settings, tracking the reports is critical to support awareness and provide critical information that we use to better understand the causes. Then we can work with employers to fix it.”
Lost-time musculoskeletal disorders, which include strains and sprains, decreased 4 percent from the year before, but the Connecticut rate of 53.9 per 10,000 workers remains significantly higher than the national rate of 35 per 10,000 workers.
Morse and Schenck gathered their information from three sources: the State Labor Department/Bureau of Labor Statistics survey; the Reports of First Injury to the Connecticut Workers Compensation Commission; and the Physicians Reports under the Occupational Disease Surveillance System.Â
The report is part of the Occupational Disease Surveillance System, a cooperative effort between the Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Commission, the Connecticut Department of Public Health, the Connecticut Labor Department, the academic occupational health programs at the UConn Health Center and Yale University, and other state occupational health clinics. The system is designed to trace and prevent occupational disease.
A free copy of the “Occupational Disease in Connecticut: 2010” report that reflects data for 2008, is available at http://www.oehc.uchc.edu/news.asp, or contact the Workers’ Compensation Commission at 860-493-1500 or Tim Morse at tmorse@uchc.edu or 860-679-4720.
