Associations Between Work-Zone Groups and Compensation Claims: Experience From a Poultry Meat Processing Plant.

Abstract

At a poultry meat processing plant, work-zone group was an influencing factor upon an intervention program aimed at reducing musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), and also upon safety climate and disability management practices. This study aimed to explore if compensation claim outcomes also differed across work-zones in this plant. De-identified workers' compensation claims data from the processor were categorized according to three main work-zones (kill, process, and despatch). Multivariable generalized linear modeling explored the compensation claims costs across these work-zones, adjusted for age, shift, and claim type. For MSDs, costs per claim were 3.5 times lower in the kill-zone compared to the despatch-zone. Shift worked and claim type were significant covariates in the modeling. Organizations should prioritize interventions within work-zones with poorer compensation outcomes and consider the association of organizational microclimates upon these claims.