Under-reporting of work-related disorders in the workplace: a case study and review of the literature
Under-reporting of work-related disorders in the workplace: a case study and review of the literature
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DOI：
10.1080/001401399185874
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发表时间：
1999-01-01
期刊：
影响因子：
2.4
通讯作者：
Himmelstein, J
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Pransky, G;Snyder, T;Himmelstein, J
准确报告与工作有关的条件对于监测工作场所的健康和安全以及确定最需要的干预措施是必要的。报告系统可能主要是为外部机构（OSHA或工人赔偿）或为雇主自己使用而设计的。由于各种原因和影响，工作场所伤害和疾病的报告不足是常见的。根据以前的报告，作者特别感兴趣的是安全奖励计划对报告不足的作用。安全奖励方案通常奖励减少工伤率的主管和雇员，因此可能无意中妨碍适当的报告。作者描述了一个案例研究的几个工业设施，以说明报告不足的程度和发生的原因。一份问卷和访谈调查进行了110名工人执行类似的任务和几个管理人员，健康和安全人员在每个三个工业设施。虽然在过去一年中，只有不到5%的工人正式报告了与工作有关的伤害或疾病，但超过85%的工人经历了与工作有关的症状，50%的工人有持续的与工作有关的问题，30%的工人报告说，由于他们的疾病，他们失去了工作时间或工作限制。工人们描述了不报告他们受伤的几个原因，包括害怕报复，认为疼痛是工作活动或衰老的常见后果，在先前报告后管理层缺乏反应，以及不想失去他们通常的工作。与管理层代表的访谈揭示了报告面临的行政和其他障碍，这些障碍源于他们希望实现无伤害报告的目标，以及对可记录性要求的误解。企业和设施安全激励措施似乎对工人正确报告工伤有间接但重大的负面影响。各种影响可能导致漏报;由于漏报，工人调查和症状报告可能比可记录的伤害日志提供更有价值和及时的风险信息。安全奖励方案应仔细设计，以确保它们能刺激与安全有关的变革，并防止报告不足。需要对类似机构进行病例对照研究，或在制定安全激励措施之前和之后收集数据，以更清楚地确定这些方案在报告不足方面的作用。
Accurate reporting of work-related conditions is necessary to monitor workplace health and safety, and to identify the interventions that are most needed. Reporting systems may be designed primarily for external agencies (OSHA or workers' compensation) or for the employer's own use. Under-reporting of workplace injuries and illnesses is common due to a variety of causes and influences. Based on previous reports, the authors were especially interested in the role of safety incentive programmes on under-reporting. Safety incentive programmes typically reward supervisors and employees for reducing workplace injury rates, and thus may unintentionally inhibit proper reporting. The authors describe a case study of several industrial facilities in order to illustrate the extent of under-reporting and the reasons for its occurrence. A questionnaire and interview survey was administered to 110 workers performing similar tasks and several managers, health, and safety personnel at each of three industrial facilities. Although less than 5% of workers had officially reported a work-related injury or illness during the past year, over 85% experienced work-related symptoms, 50% had persistent work-related problems, and 30% reported either lost time from work or work restrictions because of their ailment. Workers described several reasons for not reporting their injuries, including fear of reprisal, a belief that pain was an ordinary consequence of work activity or ageing, lack of management responsiveness after prior reports, and a desire not to lose their usual job. Interviews with management representatives revealed administrative and other barriers to reporting, stemming from their desire to attain a goal of no reported injuries, and misconceptions about requirements for recordability. The corporate and facility safety incentives appeared to have an indirect, but significant negative influence on the proper reporting of workplace injuries by workers. A variety of influences may contribute to under-reporting; because of under-reporting, worker surveys and symptom reports may provide more valuable and timely information on risks than recordable injury logs. Safety incentive programmes should be carefully designed to ensure that they provide a stimulus for safety-related changes, and to discourage under-reporting. A case-control study of similar establishments, or data before and after instituting safety incentives, would be required to more clearly establish the role of these programmes in under-reporting.