Date of Conferral

12-30-2025

Date of Award

December 2025

Degree

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

School

Health Sciences

Advisor

David Anderson

Abstract

Occupational injuries remain prevalent across various industries, resulting in significant financial burdens for both organizations and employees through increased workers’ compensation claims. One potential contributing factor is substance use in the workplace, which has been linked to decreased productivity, impaired judgment, and workplace conflict. Despite these risks, the relationship between substance use and occupational injuries remains underexplored. As such, grounded in constructivism and interpretivism, this study investigated the extent to which substance use influences injury outcomes and whether its role is underestimated in workplace incident reporting by analyzing worker’s compensation claims in Ohio. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining a systematic qualitative review with quantitative analysis of 673 workers’ compensation claims spanning 26 years (1994 to 2019) in Ohio. Data were analyzed using comparative statistics and thematic analysis to identify patterns and themes related to substance abuse and workplace injuries. Results of the comparative analysis indicated that medical-only claim costs were significantly higher among claims involving substance use, while indemnity and total cost were lower in the sample than in the overall population. These findings suggest that substance use is associated with an increased prevalence of workplace injuries, while its impact may also be underreported or underestimated. Additionally, 86% of reviewed claims involved male workers, with 50% occurring among men aged 16–35 years. These results highlight the need for targeted interventions for high-risk groups, including younger male workers, and support the use of randomized substance testing and technological strategies to improve workplace safety.

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