Obese Employees File Twice as Many Workers’ Comp Claims

A new study of almost 12,000 Duke University employees found that obese workers filed nearly twice as many workers’ comp claims; had 7 times higher medical costs associated with these claims, and 13 times more lost work days due to injury / illness than non-obese employees. In addition, obese workers in high-risk jobs had the highest medical claims of all employees. Employees with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more were considered obese. The study found that workers with a BMI of 40 had nearly 12 workers’ comp claims per 100 workers, compared with about 6 claims per 100 workers with a normal BMI (18.5-24.9). Obese workers lost an average of almost 184 work days per 100 workers, compared with just over 14 per 100 for those with an average BMI. Obese employees had an average medical cost claim of $57,019 per 100 workers, compared with $7,503 for non-obese employees. Source: Duke University News Release – Robert Prelot – 4/23/07