Funding Agency: OHSAH, Fraser Health
Timeline: January 2008 to August 2008

Objective: The objective of this report is to assess the economic impact of the Prevention and Early Active Return to Work Safely (PEARS) Program using information from OHSAH’s Workplace Health Indicator Tracking and Evaluation (WHITE) Database, payroll data, and workers’ compensation data. The evaluation compared a PEARS facility (Hospital A) to a control facility with little access to the PEARS program (Hospital B).

Findings:There were no statistical differences in musculoskeletal incidents and time-loss musculoskeletal injury (MSI) claims between Hospital A and B. On average, there were more compensated days taken by full-time employees at Hospital A than Hospital B, although sick days associated to occupational injury were more common in Hospital B. Regardless, overall days lost attributable to MSI were higher at Hospital A.

In terms of WorksafeBC payments, total payments for MSI were higher at Hospital A, but MSI-related payroll payments were higher at Hospital B (sick time, LTD, etc.). Overall payments were higher at Hospital A. Payments for overtime to coworkers at Hospital A and Hospital B during this period were higher at Hospital B.

These findings differ from those found in earlier evaluations that reported reductions on WorkSafeBC compensated days and time-loss payments at Hospital A when compared to a different control hospital during the PEARS pilot year (Badii et al. 2006 & Davis et al. 2004).

Investigators: Dr. Jaime Guzman, OHSAH; Dave Keen, FH; Karlene Dawson, FH; Wagar Mughal, FH; Dr. Hasanat Alamgir, OHSAH; Shicheng Yu, OHSAH; Philip Mah, OHSAH; Saleema Dhalla, OHSAH;