Between 1992 and 1998, labor and industries accepted approximately 1,166,000 workers’ compensation claims from state fund employers. Of those, 301,000 were the result of an “overexertion” type of exposure. That’s almost 26 percent of all state fund claims. An overexertion claim is defined as any non-impact injury that results from lifting, pulling, pushing, carrying, wielding or throwing objects. Overexertion claims cost the state fund more than $1.05 billion between 1992 and 1998 – an average of $150 million per year. The following pie chart shows the distribution of overexertion claims by the nature of injury. Overexertion back injuries, as defined above are rarely the result of a single event or accident. In some cases, an accident may have resulted in a pulled muscle. But the muscle really didn’t become bothersome until after several weeks or months of repetitive lifting or awkward work postures. In other cases, months or years of repetitive lifting, pushing, pulling and carrying didn’t become noticeable until a single lift produced significant pain from a bulging or ruptured disc.

   Lessons for Lifting and Moving Materials
   February 2000 Edition, dept. of labor and industries

Over 7 years 1773 drywall and carpenters filed 2567 worker’s comp claims representing an overall rate of 53.3 per 200,000 hours worked. These claims were filed by 1046 different individuals. 28.1 % of these were from overexertion. Overexertion injuries were most commonly described as sprains or strains involving the back. Sheetrock was associated with over 40% of these injuries. Overexertion injuries were responsible fort the greatest proportion of costs for medical care, permanent impairment and paid lost days. The high rate of overexertion injuries among these workers is consistent with known ergonomic stresses on drywall jobs.

   Washington dept. of labor

NIOSH research found that the 2 main causes of injuries to drywall installers and carpenters are overexertion
(37%), and falls (32%). A NIOSH survey of drywall installers and carpenters found that workers believed their biggest risk of physical stress was from lifting, carrying or holding drywall. Overexertion hazards were responsible for the greatest proportion of costs for medical care, impairment, and pay-lost days in Washington State .

   NIOSH- National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health

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