Occupational Injuries Among Emergency Medical Service Providers in the United States

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This was in my inbox, it is only the abstract, though i thought it may result in some interesting discussion.

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine:
August 2009 - Volume 51 - Issue 8 - pp 963-968
doi: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e3181af6b76
Original Articles
Occupational Injuries Among Emergency Medical Service Providers in the United States
Heick, Rebecca MS, PhD; Young, Tracy MS; Peek-Asa, Corinne MPH, PhD
Abstract

Objective: Occupational injury is a significant problem among emergency medical services (EMS) providers. A national survey was conducted to describe the problem of occupational injury among EMS providers.

Methods: This study examined the most common types of nonfatal injuries and the activities and environments where injury most frequently occurred, including additional variables and paid versus volunteer status.

Results: Occupational injury in the past 12 months was reported by more than 29% of 659 survey respondents, with multiple injuries reported by 64% of those reporting an injury. Paid providers had approximately twice the prevalence of overall injury than volunteer providers, controlling for age and gender. Paid providers were more likely than volunteer providers to experience back injury and physical assault.

Conclusions: This study clearly identifies important occupational injury problems in EMS, including the need to examine paid and volunteer providers as separate occupational groups.

©2009The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
 
notice that paid providers had twice the reported amount of injuries than their volunteer counterparts. Could this simply be because there are more paid service providers than volunteers? Regardless, what are your all's views on regarding volunteer and paid providers as separate entities?
(not trying to start another volly vs. paid mess)
 
Well maybe there is more workers comp options for paid than volliies.
 
atropine said:
Well maybe there is more workers comp options for paid than volliies.
Click to expand...

I agree, most people who volly will not report the injury unless it is really serious, where those in paid services will report all due to workers compensation issues.
 
downunderwunda said:
I agree, most people who volly will not report the injury unless it is really serious, where those in paid services will report all due to workers compensation issues.
Click to expand...
There may be some truth to that, but not necessarily as much as you think; though it most likely does play a part.

It's not uncommon for volunteer services to provide some type of workman's comp for OTJ injuries; I don't know about nationally but in some area's it's required.

As well, demographics and call volume will play a huge role in the results. Pretty much across the board, a volunteer will respond to fewer calls than a paid employee. (yes, before anyone starts whining there are exceptions to this, but taken as a whole, I'm right) Seeing more pt's and being at work more equals a higher chance of being injured, pretty clear. For the demographics, with very few exceptions (NJ) areas that have a high crime rate and a high incidence of assaults on EMS personnel are covered by paid services, so again, that equals a higher risk to paid employees.

This shouldn't come as a shock to anyone, but it is nice to see that someone actually crunched the numbers...a link to the study would be great as well. (I'm to lazy to look for it myself).
 
triemal04 said:
It's not uncommon for volunteer services to provide some type of workman's comp for OTJ injuries; I don't know about nationally but in some area's it's required.
Click to expand...

In California all vollunteers for Fire and SAR are covered by the States Disaster Services Workers Compensation Fund, a state run Workmans Comp deal. It is not an option... we all have to be sworn in and sign that paper work before we are allowed on calls. And i have heard that it is similar in most states out west... but out east (where there are more vollie based Ambos) I have heard stories of crews getting injured and having to fight the company/government tooth and nail to get any compensation...

But we have it and we use it! Extreme example was the team member that was rappeling into a ravine to get to a trauma patient that had fallen down the same ravine. Another team member knocked a boulder down while rappelling and it smashed the first team member in the face, knocking out two teath and causing other facial trauma. All medical care to return that face to normal, as well as compensation for time away from work, was covered by the state.

However, it gets used for lesser things... like the team member that sees poision oak and starts itching... everytime she gets poision oak she heads down to the ER and gets a cortizone shot... a the states expense.
 
Mountain Res-Q said:
In California all vollunteers for Fire and SAR are covered by the States Disaster Services Workers Compensation Fund, a state run Workmans Comp deal. It is not an option... we all have to be sworn in and sign that paper work before we are allowed on calls. And i have heard that it is similar in most states out west... but out east (where there are more vollie based Ambos) I have heard stories of crews getting injured and having to fight the company/government tooth and nail to get any compensation...

But we have it and we use it! Extreme example was the team member that was rappeling into a ravine to get to a trauma patient that had fallen down the same ravine. Another team member knocked a boulder down while rappelling and it smashed the first team member in the face, knocking out two teath and causing other facial trauma. All medical care to return that face to normal, as well as compensation for time away from work, was covered by the state.

However, it gets used for lesser things... like the team member that sees poision oak and starts itching... everytime she gets poision oak she heads down to the ER and gets a cortizone shot... a the states expense.
Click to expand...
Heh. Welcome to the world of workman's comp. It is an excellent benefit and absurd to think of not having it, but, unfortunately, it can be abused, though they're getting better at spotting fraud it seems like.

Even if there isn't a state requirement, at least having some sort of insurance policy seems like such an obvious thing that it doesn't even need to be pointed out...probably why it doesn't always happen that way. ;) I know where I first started as a volunteer, if you were injured on the job it was covered, and if you were unable to work after an OJT you got something like $800/week for I think up to 6 months.
 
I would guess some of the reason could be environmental. (Assuming he controlled for hours on the job).

Paid is more urban than volunteer.

Paid have MORE patients per hour which means MORE lifting.

Paid are more urban and so have MORE OBESE patients, more danger while lifting.

Paid are more likely to have steps and multistory buildings in their urban environment: more danger while lifting.
 
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