ABSTRACT
Worker’s compensation data are a rich source of information that can be used to identify and subsequently to control occupational injuries. Worker’s compensation law exists at the state, federal and national levels of jurisdiction. The purpose of these laws is to provide some financial support for injuries and diseases that arise out of the and in the course of employment. This legal requirement involves various parties including employers, the employee, insurance companies, medical providers and the state, federal or national entity that serves to distribute such compensation and adjudicate the disagreements resulting from such claims. This chapter will identify critical information that is currently collected through current claim forms and associated documentation related to claims, using a form filed for compensable injuries in the State of Wisconsin as a template. It will propose some opportunities for utilizing the claim information to study and control occupational injuries. It will identify some of the shortcomings of such information and discuss the implications of such research to control occupational injuries.
