Today’s issue of WorkCompRecap features the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) announcement of the results of a new first-of-its-kind study that found apprenticeship programs result in safer workers.
The study by L&I’s Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP) Program linked registered apprenticeship data with plumber certification information and then compared worker compensation claims between 2000-2018. The work underwent a rigorous peer review and publication last fall in the prestigious Journal of Safety Research. Key findings included that workers’ compensation claim rates were 31% lower among journey level plumbers with apprenticeship training compared to plumbers who did not complete an apprenticeship. L&I noted that while the study focused on plumbers, it indicates apprenticeships not only provide well-trained workers, they also contribute to a safer workplace.
WorkCompWire will return on Tuesday, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day