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Teresa Scherzer, PhD, MSW, Reiner Rugulies, PhD, MPH and Niklas Krause, MD, PhD, MPH

At the time of the study, Teresa Scherzer was with the School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, and Reiner Rugulies was with the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. Niklas Krause is with the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Niklas Kraus, MD, PhD, MPH, Occupational Epidemiology Program, University of California, San Francisco, 1301 S 46th St, Bldg 163, Richmond, CA 94804 (e-mail: nkrause{at}berkeley.edu).

Objectives. We examined the prevalence of work-related pain and injury and explored barriers to and experiences of reporting among workers.

Methods. We surveyed 941 unionized hotel room cleaners about work-related pain, injury, disability, and reporting.

Results. During the past 12 months, 75% of workers in our study experienced work-related pain, and 31% reported it to management; 20% filed claims for workers’ compensation as a result of work-related injury, and 35% of their claims were denied. Barriers to reporting injury included "It would be too much trouble" (43%), "I was afraid" (26%), and "I didn’t know how" (18%). An estimated 69% of medical costs were shifted from employers to workers.

Conclusions. The reasons for underreporting and the extent of claim denial warrant further investigation. Implications for worker health and the precise quantification of shifting costs to workers also should be addressed.

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