Abstract
Approximately 2.8 million nonfatal workplace illnesses and injuries were reported in the United States in 2018 (1). Current surveillance methods might underestimate the prevalence of occupational injuries and illnesses (2,3). One way to obtain more information on occupational morbidity is to assess workers' perceptions about whether they have ever experienced health problems related to work (4). Occupational exposures might directly cause, contribute to, exacerbate, or predispose workers to various health problems (work-related health problems). CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health estimated the lifetime prevalence of self-reported, work-related health problems for the currently employed population overall and stratified by various demographic and job characteristics using data from the 2018 version of the SummerStyles survey. Overall, 35.1% of employed respondents had ever experienced a work-related health problem (95% confidence interval [CI]=33.0%-37.3%). The most commonly reported work-related health problem was back pain (19.4%, 95% CI=17.6%-21.2%). Among industries, construction (48.6%, 95% CI=36.54%-60.58%) had the highest prevalence of any work-related health problems. Workplace injury and illness prevention programs are needed to reduce the prevalence of work-related health problems, especially in higher-risk industries.
Highlights
Workplace injury and illness prevention programs are needed to prevent work-related health problems, such as back pain, and reduce the number of health problems in higher-risk industries such as construction
Depending on how respondents view the survey, they might be more inclined or less inclined to report that they had a work-related health problem. Only those persons who were currently employed were included in the study, so the results could underestimate the prevalence of occupational health problems in the entire population
Occupational health surveillance relies on data from a variety of sources, including employer-based reporting, public health case reporting, workers’ compensation claims, health care records, and population-based surveys
Summary
MD, Director Anne Schuchat, MD, Principal Deputy Director Chesley L. MD, MPH, Deputy Director for Public Health Science and Surveillance Rebecca Bunnell, PhD, MEd, Director, Office of Science Arlene Greenspan, PhD, Acting Director, Office of Science Quality, Office of Science Michael F. MD, MPH, Director, Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services. MD, MPH, Guest Associate Editor Mary Dott, MD, MPH, Online Editor Terisa F. Weatherwax, Lead Technical Writer-Editor Glenn Damon, Soumya Dunworth, PhD, Teresa M.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
