Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Neck, Back, and Upper Extremity in Washington State, 1990-1998

Table 5. Washington State Fund Workers Compensation Claims for Upper Extremity MSDs and Non-Traumatic Soft Tissue Disorders.1990-1998

Upper Extremity Disorders

Shoulder Disorders

Elbow Disorders

Hand/Wrist Disorders

All MSDs

Non-Traumatic Soft Tissue

All MSDs

Non-Traumatic Soft Tissue

All MSDs

Non-Traumatic Soft Tissue

All MSDs

Non-Traumatic Soft Tissue

Total claims 1990-1998

287,751

129,656

64,143

42,715

44,408

21,586

174,916

65,707

Average total no. claims/year

31,972

14,406

7,127

4,746

4,934

2,398

19,435

7,300

Average total no. individuals/year

26,595

12,833

6,595

4,453

4,670

2,292

17,208

6,811

% female

34.9

43.3

33.2

35.7

32.7

37.8

35.7

51.0

Median age

33

35

35

35

36

37

32

34

Average yearly claim rate per 10,000 FTEs

259.4

116.6

57.6

38.3

40.1

19.4

157.9

59.2

Overall yearly claim rate per 10,000 FTEs

257.8

116.1

57.5

38.3

39.8

19.3

156.7

58.9

Severity rate (lost days per 10,000 FTEs)

9,382

6,119

2,894

1,923

1,203

680

4,662

3,119

Average no. claims with time loss/year

9,504

5,137

2,930

1,838

1,455

813

5,424

2,787

% of total claims

29.7

35.7

41.1

38.9

29.5

33.9

27.9

38.2

Average time loss days/claim

135

162

160

161

137

155

121

164

Median time loss days /claim

35

46

38

35

31

35

34

53

Average total cost/claim

$4,349

$5,837

$6,968

$6,661

$3,727

$4,310

$3,519

$5,744

Median total cost /claim

$245

$363

$384

$382

$222

$288

$226

$372