Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Work-Related Burns
Summary Indicator Report Data View Options
Why Is This Important?
Work-related burns are among the most devastating injuries affecting workers. Although hospitalized burns are rare events, they are painful, disabling, and may result in significant disfigurement.
Definition
Hospitalizations of persons 16 years or older with burn injury as the primary diagnosis and primary payer coded as workers' compensation. ICD-9-CM codes: 940 - 949; ICD-10-CM codes: T20-T28, T30-T32
Data Sources
- Hospital Discharge Data Collection System (NJDDCS), Health Care Quality and Assessment, New Jersey Department of Health
(https://nj.gov/health/healthcarequality/health-care-professionals/njddcs/) - U.S. Census Bureau
(https://www.census.gov/) - Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor
(https://www.bls.gov/)
How the Measure is Calculated
| Numerator: | Number of hospital discharges with primary diagnosis of burn injury and primary payer coded as workers' compensation. |
| Denominator: | Total number of employed persons aged 16 years or older for the same calendar year. |
How Are We Doing?
In New Jersey (NJ) there have been over 1,000 work-related burns between 2000 and 2022. NJ annual rates ranged from 0.4-2.9 hospitalizations/100,000 workers from 2000-2022. In 2022, there were 19 work-related burn hospitalizations in NJ. Of these 19 (95%) were male and the average age was 43 years. 10 (53%) of the hospitalized individuals were White; 1 (5%) were Black; and 7 (37%) were unknown. One (5%) indicated Hispanic origin and 17 (89%) were unknown ethnicity. Of the 19 reported cases of work-related burns in 2022, 37% of the burns were to the head, face, and neck; 16% were to the wrist and hand; and 16% were to the lower limb, except ankle and foot.
Available Services
Additional information on the prevention of work-related injuries and illnesses can be obtained from: NJ Department of Health, Occupational Health Surveillance Unit, PO Box 369, Trenton, NJ 08625-0369 Phone: 609-826-4984, Fax: 609-826-4983, [http://www.state.nj.us/health/workplacehealthandsafety/occupational-health-surveillance/]
Health Program Information
Individuals hospitalized for work-related injuries and illnesses represent less than 10 percent of all workers who receive workers' compensation. The majority of individuals with work-related illnesses and many others with injuries do not file for workers' compensation. Additionally, self-employed individuals such as farmers and independent contractors, federal employees, railroad or longshore and maritime workers are not covered by state workers' compensation systems. Workers' compensation eligibility criteria and availability of data from workers' compensation programs varies among states so caution should be taken when making comparisons state-to-state or nationally. Attribution of payer in hospital discharge may not be accurate.