Occupational Safety and Health for Public Safety Employees Assessing the Evidence and the Implications for Public Safety

by LaTourrette, Tom; Loughran, David S.; Seabury, Seth A.

• ISBN13: 9780833046215
• ISBN10: 0833046217
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-01-16
• Publisher: RAND Corporation

Summary

Police officers, firefighters, and other public safety workers are asked to put their lives at risk to protect the general public, so it is not surprising that they face exceptionally high rates of injury and fatality relative to the general workforce. To help protect public safety employees from work-related injuries and illnesses without compromising their ability to do their jobs, policymakers need a better understanding of the specific risk factors associated with different aspects of public safety occupations. To further such understanding, LaTourrette, Loughran, and Seabury conducted a literature review of research on this topic; held roundtable discussions with representatives from several public safety departments in California; and analyzed national survey data, as well as administrative data from California, to illuminate how the injury, illness, and fatality rates for public safety employees differ from those of the general workforce. The authors highlight opportunities and challenges to improving the health and safety of public safety workers. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. iii
Figures	p. xi
Tables	p. xiii
Summary	p. xv
Acknowledgments	p. xxvii
Abbreviations	p. xxix
Introduction	p. 1
Background and Research Goals	p. 1
Defining the Study Population	p. 4
Organization of This Report	p. 5
Description of Injury and Disability Compensation for Public Safety Employees	p. 7
Workers' Compensation Benefits	p. 7
Disability Retirement Benefits	p. 11
What Is Known About the Safety and Health of Public Safety Employees?	p. 15
Methods and Data Sources	p. 15
Surveillance Data	p. 15
Empirical Studies	p. 16
The Fire Service	p. 16
Fire Service Fatalities	p. 19
Fire Service Injuries	p. 24
Health Outcomes in Firefighters	p. 27
Emergency Medical Services	p. 32
Law Enforcement	p. 33
Law Enforcement Fatalities	p. 34
Law Enforcement Injuries	p. 36
Health Outcomes in Law Enforcement Officers	p. 38
Discussion	p. 39
Characterizing Current Strategies for Reducing Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Among Public Safety Employees	p. 41
Roundtable Discussions	p. 41
Safety and Health Protection Efforts in the Public Safety Workforce	p. 43
Impediments to Safety and Health Promotion	p. 45
Service-Wide Safety and Health Promotion Efforts	p. 47
Comparing Safety and Health Risks and Promotion Strategies	p. 50
Time Spent on Primary Work Activities	p. 52
Correspondence Between Safety and Health Risks and Promotion Strategies	p. 53
Discussion	p. 58
The Health of Public Safety Workers Relative to That of Other Workers	p. 61
The Incidence of Disability Across Occupations in the Current Population Survey	p. 62
The Incidence of Poor Health Across Occupations in the National Health Interview Survey	p. 68
Discussion	p. 84
Work-Related Disability Benefit Receipt and Disability Retirement Among Public Safety Employees	p. 87
Data and Methods	p. 89
Permanent Disability Benefit Receipt, by Occupation	p. 94
Incentive Effects of Injury Compensation	p. 98
Discussion	p. 101
Conclusions and Policy Implications	p. 103
Roundtable Discussion Protocol	p. 109
Assessing the Quality of the Match Between the Workers' Compensation and Disability Retirement Data	p. 113
References	p. 115
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