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. 2005 Mar;95(3):483-8.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2003.033266.

Work-related pain and injury and barriers to workers' compensation among Las Vegas hotel room cleaners

Teresa Scherzer  1 , Reiner Rugulies, Niklas Krause
Affiliations

Work-related pain and injury and barriers to workers' compensation among Las Vegas hotel room cleaners

Teresa Scherzer et al. Am J Public Health. 2005 Mar.

Abstract

Objectives: We examined the prevalence of work-related pain and injury and explored barriers to and experiences of reporting among workers.

Methods: We surveyed 941 unionized hotel room cleaners about work-related pain, injury, disability, and reporting.

Results: During the past 12 months, 75% of workers in our study experienced work-related pain, and 31% reported it to management; 20% filed claims for workers' compensation as a result of work-related injury, and 35% of their claims were denied. Barriers to reporting injury included "It would be too much trouble" (43%), "I was afraid" (26%), and "I didn't know how" (18%). An estimated 69% of medical costs were shifted from employers to workers.

Conclusions: The reasons for underreporting and the extent of claim denial warrant further investigation. Implications for worker health and the precise quantification of shifting costs to workers also should be addressed.

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References

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