The safety costs of contingent work: Evidence from Minnesota

We find that workers’ compensation costs for leased/staff agency workers are about three times higher than for regular full-time workers. This differential grows even wider when controlling for worker characteristics. Authors give a number of reasons for this result, including claimsreporting moral hazard on the part of contingent work-ers. We also present results on claim denials by work status, which seems to support the cost model. The authors gratefully acknowledge research support from the grants for research program of International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP). Comments from Rich Derrig, Larry Aarhus, members of the Industrial Relations Center workshop, and an anonymous referee are greatly appreciated. The authors also appreciate Brian Zaidman for his helpful comments and assistance with the data for this study.     

Accidental exposures to blood and other body fluids in a large academic medical center

Healthcare workers' and students' exposures to blood-borne pathogens during a 1-year period (1997) at a large university academic medical center were analyzed. The university health manages the Blood-Borne Pathogen Post-Exposure Control Program at the university and treats all reported exposures of students, faculty, and staff. Comparative exposure rates for all categories of healthcare workers, the work site where injuries occurred, and the circumstances involved in 298 exposure incidents are outlined. A standardized postexposure prophylaxis protocol provides for definition of the health status of all known source patients and assessment of the potential need for treatment of the exposed clinician. Implications of the study for focusing on improvements in training healthcare workers in proper procedures and the use of personal protective equipment in dealing with blood-borne pathogens are discussed.     

Generalized Inverse Gaussian Distributions and their Wishart Connections

The matrix generalized inverse Gaussian distribution (MGIG) is shown to arise as a conditional distribution of components of a Wishart distributio n. In the special scalar case, the characterization refers to members of the class of generalized inverse Gaussian distributions (GIGs) and includes the inverse Gaussian distribution among others     

Optimizing Natural Gas Flows with Linear Programming and Scenarios

Recently, we developed a linear programming model to aid an electric utility company in evaluating several long-term operating decisions. Variations of this model provide insights into daily operations and valuation of supply contracts. This paper outlines the important characteristics of this class of network models including the usage of a gas storage facility, the use of market forecasts of gas prices, and the accommodation of gas contract structures. In addition, we develop a scenario optimization procedure in which demand forecasts provide scenarios. We also describe ways in which these models were automated to drive a decision support system.     

Older lesbians receiving home care: formal and informal dimensions of caregiving

Older lesbians face the triple jeopardy of ageism, sexism, and heterosexism, and their experiences are largely invisible. This qualitative, exploratory study examines the formal and informal caregiving experiences of 20 lesbians, 65 and older, who had utilized home care services due to acute illness or chronic disabilities. Half of those not partnered reported some level of isolation from support networks. Nearly all study participants eventually found home care workers with whom they were satisfied and even quite connected. Practice implications are discussed in context of study participants’ views of how being lesbian affects their aging process and day-to-day lives.