Workers' compensation loss prevention representative contact and risk of lost-time injury in construction policyholders

Introduction: Insurance loss prevention (LP) representatives have access and contact with businesses and employees to provide targeted safety and health resources. Construction firms, especially those smaller in size, are a high-risk population. This research evaluated the association between LP rep contact and risk for lost time injuries in construction policyholders. Methods: Workers' compensation data were utilized to track LP rep contact with policyholders and incidence of lost-time injury over time. Survival analysis with repeated events modeling calculated hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Compared no LP contact, one contact was associated with a 27% reduction of risk (HR = 0.73, CI = 0.65-0.82), two with a 41% (HR = 0.59, CI = 0.51-0.68), and three or more contacts with a 28% reduction of risk (HR = 0.72, CI = 0.65-0.81). Conclusions: LP reps appear to be a valuable partner in efforts to reduce injury burden. Their presence or contact with policyholders is consistent with reduction in overall incidence of lost-time injuries. Practical applications: Reduction in lost-time injuries, resulting in reduced workers' compensation costs for policyholders and insurance companies, builds a business-case for safety and injury prevention. LP reps are often a low or no-cost benefit for insurance policyholders and may be an important injury prevention resource for small firms and/or those with lack of safety resources and staff. (C) 2017 The Authors. National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd.