On the job injuries and illnesses affect thousands of American workers every year. Workers' comp insurers along with employers who self insure pay out millions to cover the medical bills and provide partial wage replacement for these employees.
Why are so many on the job injuries and occupational illnesses occurring? A new center being created by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health will attempt to answer this and other questions related to workers' comp.
On June 5, NIOSH announced it will be opening the Center for Workers' Compensation Studies, or CWCS. A lot of workers' comp data is collected in the claims process, and the purpose of CWCS will be to consolidate and analyze this data in order to better understand workplace injury.
Prevention is, of course, one of the main goals of the new CWCS data collection efforts. But, NIOSH also recognizes that there are limits on the real world effects data gathering can have, and another part of the project is to define these limits.
If you have been injured in a workplace accident, or if you are suffering from an occupational illness, it is too late for you to benefit the possible preventative effects that the CWCS might bring about. Now, retaining a workers' compensation attorney and pursuing the full benefits you deserve is likely your only available remedy. However, with the new NIOSH center in place, your data could soon be put to use to help keep others from suffering the pains of workplace injury and illness.