O-357 Examining variations in work disability duration by firm size: a comparative study of workers’ compensation claims in Canada and Australia

Abstract

<h3>Introduction</h3> Small firms, while more numerous than large firms, often face greater challenges in implementing effective occupational health and safety and return-to-work programs. Research has rarely looked at firm size as a determinant of work disability duration and has been limited to single jurisdictions. <h3>Objectives</h3> To identify whether there were differences in work disability duration between injured workers employed by small, medium and large firms and whether these differences varied between workers’ compensation jurisdictions in Canada (CAN) and Australia (AUS). <h3>Methods</h3> Workers’ compensation data were used to identify comparable lost-time, work-related injury and musculoskeletal disorder claims in five Canadian and five Australian jurisdictions between 2011 and 2015. Work disability duration was measured using cumulative days in receipt of disability benefit payments up to one-year post-injury. Jurisdiction-specific quantile regression models were used to compare cumulative disability days paid from small ( &lt; 2 0 full-time equivalents (FTEs), medium (20–199 FTEs), large (200+ FTEs) firms at 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles in the disability distribution, adjusting for confounders. <h3>Results</h3> Differences in work disability duration by firm size were observed in all jurisdictions except the Northern Territories (AUS). Compared to large firms, small firms were paid the most disability days at each percentile, particunarly in Victoria (AUS), Saskatchewan (CAN), the Australian Capital Territory, and Tasmania (AUS), where an additional 63.0, 31.1, 37.0, and 27.4 days were paid at the 75th percentiles of the distributions, respectively. Claims from medium-sized firms were generally paid more disability days than large firms except in Western Australia and Tasmania, where they were paid less. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Small firms were shown to have the longest work disability durations in 9 of the 10 study jurisdictions. Claims management processes need to be sensitive to the challenges that small firms face in accommodating and returning injured workers back to work.