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| COs and social service employees face greatest danger of injury |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 04/19/2004 |
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State workers facing the greatest danger of on-the-job injury are corrections officers and employees in social services, with those at the Utah State Developmental Center the most at risk. The center at American Fork is home to severely mentally and physically challenged people. Assisting in their everyday needs takes a toll on employees' backs, wrists and ankles and more than a third of the employees file Workers Compensation Fund claims each year. "It is a higher-risk work environment," said Tim Villnave, a loss-control specialist for the Utah Office of Risk Management. Three of the top four agencies for Workers Compensation claims over the past seven years -- Utah State Developmental Center, Department of Human Services, Utah State Hospital -- are social service providers. Human Services includes divisions for youth corrections and child and family services. It employs 5,000 people. Workers compensation claims from the developmental center alone typically total about $600,000 a year, according to state risk management reports. The amount for 2003 is just under $400,000, though claims are still being processed. The total for all state agencies last year exceeds $1.5 million. "You do everything you can to keep your workers and your clients safe," Department of Human Services spokeswoman Carol Sisco said. "But there are going to be more injuries than someone doing a desk job." The Department of Corrections has the second highest number of Workers Compensation claims in the state. Spokesman Jack Ford estimates one-third of the injuries result from prisoner assaults. |
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