Objectives

Methodology

• Members of the NSC Board of Delegates volunteered their expertise to assist with the development of the survey questionnaire.
• The questionnaire was administered to Membership Advantage newsletter subscribers and online at www.nsc.org. E-mail announcement was sent to NSC Congress attendees (~12,000) and Safety & Health magazine subscribers (~10,000).
• Data was collected from July 31 to August 25, 2003.

• Total number of respondents - 1,314
• Respondents' primary job function - occupational safety & health (62.6%), human resource management (9.1%), general management (6.1%), risk/loss management (5.9%), executive management (4.8%), training management (1.8%), other (6.6%)
• Median company size - 300 employees
• Median recordable case rate - 3.9 occupational injury/illness cases per 200,000 hours
• Industry classification - manufacturing (38.1%), services (15.3%), government (12.6%), public utilities (7.7%), transportation (7.2%), construction (6.6%), wholesale/retail trade (3.8%), finance/insurance/real estate (2.9%), mining (1.8%)

• In the opinion of 18.9% of respondents, the total cost of OTJ injuries is much greater than the cost of workplace injuries. An additional 22.7% stated that OTJ injuries are somewhat costlier than workplace injuries. Collectively, nearly 60% believed that the cost of off-the-job injuries is greater than or equal to the cost of workplace injuries.
• About a quarter of respondents indicated that their companies keep records of OTJ injuries. Over half the companies with OTJ recordkeeping mechanisms collect such information from either injured workers or their supervisors; approximately 10% collect health insurance provider reports; and about a third rely on a combination approach.
• Overall, percentage of companies with OTJ injury recordkeeping mechanisms did not vary by company size.
• The top five commonly recorded OTJ injury data elements were: (1) nature of injury, (2) date of injury, (3) part of body affected, (4) days away from work, and (5) type of incident.
• The cost of lost production days was identified as the most commonly recorded element used to estimate the economic impact of OTJ injuries.
• Findings reveal that about a third of companies with OTJ recordkeeping mechanisms maintain records of OTJ injuries among worker dependents as well as their associated costs.

• Over half the respondents reported that their companies are involved in OTJ safety promotion either on a company-wide basis or at selected company sites. Forty-three percent did not have any OTJ safety programs.
• Existing OTJ programs address motor-vehicle safety (54.6%), fall-related injuries (41.6%), burns (40.8%), overexertion (40.4%), and sports injuries (29.1%). Respondents indicated that nearly two-thirds of existing company-wide OTJ safety programs had not been formally evaluated.
• To explore the relationship between OTJ programs and occupational injury and illness, average recordable case rates (i.e., occupational injury/illness cases per 200,000 worker hours) were compared for companies with and without OTJ safety programs. Statistical analyses indicate that companies promoting OTJ safety have lower workplace injury/illness rates.
• The two most important barriers to the implementation of OTJ safety programs were lack of resources and lack of interest. Other factors (e.g., confidentiality/liability concerns, competing priorities, lack of motivation/role model, logistic difficulties) were also mentioned as affecting organizational decisions not to be involved in promoting OTJ safety in the workplace.
• Motor-vehicle safety, falls, sports injuries, overexertion, burns, and violence were reported to be the primary areas of concern for companies without OTJ safety programs.
• Respondents considered reading material as the most feasible format for successful delivery of OTJ safety education and training in the workplace. Favorable responses were also given to hands-on demonstrations and classroom-based training.
• In addition to safety programs, it is not uncommon to find employer-sponsored health promotion initiatives offered to employees and families. Forty percent of respondents indicated that their companies deliver general health education. Other currently offered health programs included smoking cessation (36%), fitness training (35%), stress management (34%), and weight management (27%).

• Respondents ranked nine specific types of safety & health programs based on their potential to improve worker safety and health off the job. The top five programs, listed in order of importance, were fitness training, stress management, health education, smoking cessation, and defensive driving courses.
• In sum, the findings of the survey provide preliminary descriptive data about the burden of OTJ injury and characteristics of existing OTJ safety programs. They also have some implications for future interventions designed to improve worker safety away from the workplace.
• It is recommended that the project be continued with an expansion of the current methodology in order to better understand the approaches to recordkeeping as well as workplace-based safety promotion among companies with existing OTJ safety programs.
• Also, little is presently known about the reasons for some companies being less successful than others with OTJ safety programs. Thus, it is as important to learn about factors that may become a hindrance in promoting good safety practice off the job.

Dr. Mei-Li Lin, Executive Director
Sergey Sinelnikov, Research Associate

Research & Statistical Services, National Safety Council