Note: Not all cases involving smoke inhalation are included in this report. Injuries and illnesses from poor indoor air quality caused by incidental smoke from external sources, such as cigarettes or compromised ventilation systems are included, but smoke-related injuries or illnesses from firefighting or responding to incipient fires are not. Smoke in setting is not typically regarded as a chemical” source, and, since those cases are more “workplace appropriately grouped and studied with other firefighting-related injuries and illnesses, they are not included in this report. There were 18 such fire-response incidents in 2012 and 2013. CODING OF CLAIMS When Workers’ Compensation reports are filed, much of their information is further into a database so that state “coded” agencies can better retrieve, analyze, and manage the information. This study is made possible by the retrieval of the coded data as they relate to injuries and illnesses from exposures as explained above. The descriptions of data below explain how workers’ compensation injury and illness claims are categorized and coded. elements data identify the actual nature of the injury or illness (e.g., chemical burn, respiratory system “Nature” symptoms, infection) data identify the cause of the injury or illness (e.g., a caustic cleaner or carbon monoxide emissions in “Source” the case of exposure to vehicle fumes) A Source” may also be provided to identify an additional such as the accident or event that “Secondary directly led to release of the chemical causing the worker’s injury or illness. data identify the circumstances bringing about the injury or illness incident (e.g., a motor vehicle “Event” accident, inhalation of a harmful substance, contact exposure to a harmful chemical) of the Body” data identify what body part(s) are injured or affected by illness (e.g., upper and “Part(s) lower limbs, the eyes, body systems) data identify the occupation/profession of the affected worker. Occupations are coded using “Occupation” the federal Standard Occupation Coding (SOC) classification system.3 data identify the assigned federal classification of the employer industry. The federal classification “Industry” system used is the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). 4
Note: Not all cases involving smoke inhalation are included in this report. Injuries and illnesses from poor indoor air quality caused by incidental smoke from external sources, such as cigarettes or compromised ventilation systems are included, but smoke-related injuries or illnesses from firefighting or responding to incipient fires are not. Smoke in setting is not typically regarded as a “workplace chemical” source, and, since those cases are more appropriately grouped and studied with other firefighting-related injuries and illnesses, they are not included in this report. There were 18 such fire-response incidents in 2012 and 2013. CODING OF CLAIMS When Workers’ Compensation reports are filed, much of their information is further “coded” into a database so that state agencies can better retrieve, analyze, and manage the information. This study is made possible by the retrieval of the coded data as they relate to injuries and illnesses from exposures as explained above. The descriptions of data elements below explain how workers’ compensation injury and illness claims are categorized and coded. “Nature” data identify the actual nature of the injury or illness (e.g., chemical burn, respiratory system symptoms, infection) “Source” data identify the cause of the injury or illness (e.g., a caustic cleaner or carbon monoxide emissions in the case of exposure to vehicle fumes) A “Secondary Source” may also be provided to identify an additional such as the accident or event that directly led to release of the chemical causing the worker’s injury or illness. “Event” data identify the circumstances bringing about the injury or illness incident (e.g., a motor vehicle accident, inhalation of a harmful substance, contact exposure to a harmful chemical) “Part(s) of the Body” data identify what body part(s) are injured or affected by illness (e.g., upper and lower limbs, the eyes, body systems) “Occupation” data identify the occupation/profession of the affected worker. Occupations are coded using the federal Standard Occupation Coding (SOC) classification system.3 “Industry” data identify the assigned federal classification of the employer industry. The federal classification system used is the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). 4