Technical information: (202) 606-6170 USDL 98-157 Media information: (202) 606-5902 For release: 10 A.M.EDT Internet address: http://stats.bls.gov/oshhome.htm Thursday, April 23, 1998 LOST-WORKTIME INJURIES AND ILLNESSES: CHARACTERISTICS AND RESULTING TIME AWAY FROM WORK, 1996 A total of 1.9 million injuries and illnesses requiring recuperation away from work beyond the day of the incident were reported in private industry workplaces during 1996 according to a survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor. The following tabulation of the number of injuries and illnesses (in 1,000's) resulting in time away from work shows the decline in such incidents since 1992: 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Private industry 2,331.1 2,252.6 2,236.6 2,040.9 1,880.5 Goods producing 903.3 854.5 864.8 780.0 697.9 Service producing 1,427.9 1,398.1 1,371.7 1,261.0 1,182.5 Table A presents the number of injuries and illnesses requiring recuperation away from work for 1992 through 1996 for the 10 occupations that accounted for nearly one- third of such incidents. Truck drivers experienced the largest number of injuries and illnesses with time away from work in all five years. Although the number of these injuries and illnesses declined for all occupations by about 20 percent from 1992 to 1996, injuries and illnesses for truck drivers increased by nearly 5 percent. Table A. Number of occupational injuries and illnesses (in 1,000's) involving time away from work for selected occupations, 1992 - 1996 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Truck drivers 145.9 154.7 163.8 151.3 152.8 Laborers, nonconstruction 152.1 146.3 147.3 115.5 108.5 Nursing aides, orderlies 111.1 103.9 101.8 100.6 93.6 Janitors and cleaners 59.6 62.1 60.6 52.6 46.9 Assemblers 47.7 46.8 53.0 55.5 44.0 Construction laborers 57.1 54.6 55.7 43.5 43.7 Carpenters 34.3 34.8 37.4 35.0 33.5 Stock handlers and baggers 44.4 39.5 37.2 34.7 31.9 Cashiers 41.7 35.4 35.6 30.2 30.9 Cooks 36.1 42.5 36.3 35.4 30.7 Four out of ten injuries and illnesses resulting in time away from work in 1996 were sprains or strains, most often involving the back. This also held true for each of the preceding four years. Although the number of incidents for all types of injuries and illnesses involving recuperation away from work declined by about 20 percent from 1992 to 1996, the decrease was less for amputations, carpal tunnel syndrome, and fractures. Table B. Number of occupational injuries and illnesses (in 1,000's) involving time away from work for selected natures of injury and illness, 1992 - 1996 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Sprains, strains 1,022.7 959.2 963.5 876.8 819.7 Bruises, contusions 222.7 211.2 212.0 192.1 174.9 Cuts, lacerations 173.6 169.9 164.6 153.2 133.2 Fractures 143.6 136.5 138.5 124.6 120.5 Carpal tunnel syndrome 33.0 41.0 38.3 31.5 29.9 Heat burns 41.0 37.7 37.3 36.1 29.0 Tendonitis 25.4 25.0 25.2 22.1 17.4 Chemical burns 15.7 15.7 16.5 13.9 11.6 Amputations 12.4 11.3 12.2 11.3 10.2 Worker and case characteristics Worker characteristics detail the demographics of the injured or ill worker by providing not only the occupation but also the gender and age of worker, occupational group, length of service with employer at the time of the incident, and race or ethnic origin (tables 1 and 2). Following are highlights of the 1996 findings for these worker traits: *Men accounted for two out of three of the 1.9 million cases, a proportion somewhat higher than their share (55 percent) of private wage and salary workers. *Workers aged 25 to 44 accounted for 57 percent of the cases and 54 percent of the workers; workers aged 45 and over accounted for 24 percent of the cases and 29 percent of the workers. *Operators, fabricators, and laborers led all other occupational groups, accounting for 42 percent of the case total. This group includes three of the five individual jobs with the largest number of lost worktime cases--truck drivers; laborers, nonconstruction; and assemblers (table 3). *Most workers had at least a year of service with their employer when they sustained their injury or illness. Indeed, over a fourth had over five years of service, suggesting that many experienced workers incur lost worktime injuries. Case characteristics help identify the disabling condition resulting from the lost worktime incident and how the incident happened. The survey contains four characteristics to describe each disabling injury or illness (tables 4 through 6). To illustrate, consider an injury to a nursing aide who sprains her back while lifting a patient. The nature, or physical effect, is a sprain or strain; the part of body affected, her back; the event, overexertion while lifting; and the source, the health care patient. Of the four characteristics, only the source changes when coding a similar incident for a truck driver who sprains his back trying to lift a box. Following are highlights of the 1996 findings for these case characteristics: *Sprain and strain was, by far, the leading nature of injury and illness in every major industry division, ranging from slightly more than a third in Agriculture, forestry, and fishing to 53 percent in Transportation and public utilities. *The trunk, including the back, was the body part most affected by disabling work incidents in every major industry division. Most other injuries and illnesses were to upper or lower extremities. *No one source of injury or illness stood out, although each of the following three had nearly 15 percent of the case total: floors and other surfaces, worker motion or position, and containers. *Overexertion while maneuvering objects led all other disabling events or exposures, cited in a fifth to a third of the cases in every major industry division. Injury and illness severity Besides identifying high risk situations, the survey also helps researchers focus on those kinds of injuries and illnesses resulting in the lengthiest absences from work (tables 7 through 10). Median days away from work--the key survey measure of severity--designates the point at which half the cases involved more days and half involved fewer days. The median number of lost workdays for all cases was 5 days in 1996, with about a fourth of the cases resulting in 21 days or more away from work. The survey also found the following patterns: *Among major disabling conditions, median days away from work were highest for carpal tunnel syndrome (25 days), amputations (20 days), and fractures (17 days). *Repetitive motion, such as grasping tools, scanning groceries, and typing, resulted in the longest absences from work among the leading events and exposures--a median of 17 days. *Truck drivers had the highest median days away from work (10 days), followed by construction laborers, sales supervisors and proprietors, and waiters and waitresses (each with 8 days). Technical note The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported annually on the number of days- away-from-work injuries and illnesses in private industry and the rate of such incidents since the early 1970s. The 1996 national survey marks the fifth year that BLS has collected additional detailed information on such cases in the form of worker and case characteristics data, including workdays lost, summarized in this release. The number and frequency (incidence rates) of these cases are based on logs and other records kept by private industry employers throughout the year. These records reflect not only the year’s injury and illness experience but also the employer's understanding of which cases are work related under current recordkeeping guidelines of the U.S. Department of Labor. The number of injuries and illnesses reported in a given year also can be influenced by changes in the level of economic activity, working conditions and work practices, worker experience and training, and the number of hours worked. The survey continues to measure the number of new work-related illness cases which are recognized, diagnosed, and reported each year. In 1996, 94,700 of the 1.9 million cases with days away from work were classified as illnesses. Some conditions, e.g., long-term latent illnesses caused by exposure to carcinogens, often are difficult to relate to the workplace and are not adequately recognized and reported. These long-term latent illnesses are believed to be understated in the survey. In contrast, the overwhelming majority of the reported new illnesses are those which are easier to directly relate to workplace activity (e.g., contact dermatitis or carpal tunnel syndrome). The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses is a Federal/State program (50/50 funded) in which employer reports are collected from about 165,000 private industry establishments and processed by state agencies cooperating with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational injury and illness data for coal, metal, and nonmetal mining and for railroad activities were provided by the Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration and the Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration. The survey excludes all fatalities at work and work-related nonfatal injuries and illnesses to the self employed; workers on farms with fewer than 11 employees; private household workers; and employees in federal, state, and local government agencies. The survey estimates of the characteristics of cases with days away from work are based on a scientifically selected probability sample, rather than a census of the entire population. Two levels of sampling were used. First, establishments were selected to represent themselves and, in many instances, other establishments of like industry and workforce size that were not selected that survey year. Then, sampled establishments projected to have large numbers of days away from work cases were instructed before the survey began on how to sample those cases to minimize the burden of their response. Because the data are based on a sample survey, the injury and illness estimates probably differ from the figures that would be obtained from all units covered by the survey. To determine the precision of each estimate, a standard error is calculated. The standard error defines a range (confidence interval) around the estimate. The approximate 95-percent confidence interval is the estimate plus or minus twice the standard error. The standard error also can be expressed as a percent of the estimate, or the relative standard error. For example, the 95-percent confidence interval for an incidence rate of 6.5 per 100 full-time workers with a relative standard error of 1.0 percent would be 6.5 plus or minus 2 percent (2 times 1.0 percent) or 6.37 to 6.63. One can be 95 percent confident that the "true" incidence rate falls within the confidence interval. The 1996 incidence rate for all occupational injuries and illnesses of 7.4 per 100 full-time workers in private industry has an estimated relative standard error of about 0.7 percent. A relative standard error was calculated for each estimate from the survey and will be published in a BLS bulletin that is scheduled to be available later in 1998. The data are also subject to nonsampling error. The inability to obtain detailed information about all cases in the sample, mistakes in recording or coding the data, and definitional difficulties are general examples of nonsampling error in the survey. Although not measured, nonsampling errors will always occur when statistics are gathered. However, BLS has implemented quality assurance procedures to reduce nonsampling error in the survey, including a rigorous training program for State coders and a continuing effort to encourage survey participants to respond fully and accurately to all survey elements. Establishments are classified in industry categories based on the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Manual, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget. In the trucking and warehousing and transportation by air industries, SIC coding changes that were introduced with the 1996 BLS Covered Employment and Wages program were incorporated into the estimates for the 1996 survey. Because of these changes, estimates for 1996 for the following industries are not comparable to estimates for prior years: trucking and warehousing (SIC 42); trucking and courier services, excluding air (SIC 421); public warehousing and storage (SIC 422); trucking terminal facilities (SIC 423); transportation by air (SIC 45); air transportation, scheduled (SIC 451); air transportation, nonscheduled (SIC 452); transportation services (SIC 47); freight transportation arrangement (SIC 473); and miscellaneous transportation services (SIC 478). In addition, the 1996 estimates for transportation and public utilities may have more variability than those for prior years. The four case characteristics used to describe lost worktime injury and illness are based on definitions and rules of selection stipulated in the 1992 BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System. The occupation of the injured or ill worker is based on the 1990 Occupational Classification System developed by the Bureau of the Census. Table 1. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (1) by selected worker characteristics and industry division, 1996 (Numbers in thousands) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | Goods-producing | Service-producing | |___________________________________________________________________________________________________|____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | Characteristic | Private industry (2) | Agriculture, | | | | Transportation and | | | Finance, | | | forestry, | Mining (3) | Construction | Manufacturing | public | Wholesale trade | Retail trade | insurance, | Services | | and | | | | utilities (3)(4) | | | and real | | | fishing (2) | | | | | | | estate | ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ | | | | | | | | | | Total....................| 1,880.5 | 38.3 | 15.1 | 182.3 | 462.2 | 224.0 | 144.7 | 322.0 | 42.8 | 449.0 | | | | | | | | | | Sex: | | | | | | | | | | Men.........................| 1,240.0 | 31.5 | 14.7 | 177.2 | 343.5 | 178.1 | 126.8 | 176.3 | 20.9 | 171.1 Women.......................| 620.5 | 6.6 | .3 | 4.4 | 115.7 | 39.5 | 17.4 | 140.2 | 21.6 | 274.9 | | | | | | | | | | Age: (5) | | | | | | | | | | 14 to 15 years..............| 1.5 | .1 | - | - | - | - | .1 | .8 | - | .5 16 to 19 years..............| 73.8 | 2.1 | .2 | 5.1 | 11.9 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 28.1 | .8 | 16.0 20 to 24 years..............| 231.3 | 6.3 | 1.6 | 24.5 | 53.6 | 19.6 | 18.8 | 51.7 | 4.0 | 51.2 25 to 34 years..............| 559.9 | 12.7 | 3.5 | 63.1 | 133.8 | 64.0 | 47.6 | 91.9 | 12.5 | 130.8 35 to 44 years..............| 511.7 | 9.0 | 5.2 | 51.6 | 133.4 | 65.4 | 40.1 | 72.0 | 11.8 | 123.1 45 to 54 years..............| 304.4 | 4.7 | 3.0 | 21.9 | 83.9 | 46.1 | 21.6 | 41.0 | 7.9 | 74.3 55 to 64 years..............| 126.5 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 9.3 | 33.7 | 14.4 | 7.2 | 19.0 | 4.0 | 35.7 65 years and over...........| 17.7 | .3 | - | .7 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 4.1 | .7 | 6.2 | | | | | | | | | | Occupation: | | | | | | | | | | Managerial and professional | | | | | | | | | | specialty................| 106.8 | .4 | .3 | 1.9 | 7.1 | 3.1 | 5.1 | 10.8 | 6.4 | 71.5 Technical, sales, and | | | | | | | | | | administrative support...| 274.0 | 1.2 | .2 | 2.7 | 26.4 | 29.4 | 20.0 | 105.0 | 16.4 | 72.7 Service.....................| 332.5 | .6 | - | .7 | 8.6 | 13.1 | 1.8 | 81.2 | 10.5 | 215.8 Farming, forestry, and | | | | | | | | | | fishing..................| 45.1 | 28.8 | .2 | .2 | 2.7 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 6.9 Precision production, craft,| | | | | | | | | | and repair...............| 309.0 | 1.5 | 6.9 | 107.0 | 79.7 | 28.2 | 18.4 | 34.5 | 4.2 | 28.7 Operators, fabricators, and | | | | | | | | | | laborers.................| 797.6 | 5.6 | 7.2 | 68.5 | 332.1 | 147.6 | 96.8 | 86.1 | 3.1 | 50.6 | | | | | | | | | | Length of service with | | | | | | | | | | employer: | | | | | | | | | | Less than 3 months..........| 235.4 | 8.8 | 1.8 | 35.9 | 49.4 | 17.7 | 19.9 | 48.2 | 3.9 | 49.9 3 to 11 months..............| 342.9 | 7.2 | 2.7 | 40.7 | 69.1 | 31.0 | 26.9 | 66.9 | 7.0 | 91.3 1 to 5 years................| 587.8 | 13.1 | 4.2 | 58.0 | 142.1 | 53.8 | 49.4 | 104.9 | 14.0 | 148.2 More than 5 years...........| 506.3 | 6.7 | 5.3 | 34.1 | 158.8 | 77.5 | 38.5 | 63.5 | 12.9 | 109.1 Not reported................| 208.1 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 13.6 | 43.0 | 44.0 | 9.9 | 38.6 | 5.0 | 50.6 | | | | | | | | | | Race or ethnic origin: | | | | | | | | | | White, non-Hispanic.........| 1,001.4 | 15.0 | 3.7 | 120.7 | 262.0 | 91.1 | 83.8 | 176.2 | 21.1 | 227.8 Black, non-Hispanic.........| 165.7 | 1.5 | .1 | 8.9 | 39.0 | 19.8 | 12.7 | 19.7 | 3.9 | 60.2 Hispanic....................| 169.3 | 16.5 | 1.0 | 19.7 | 45.1 | 12.4 | 12.8 | 21.7 | 4.5 | 35.8 Asian or Pacific Islander...| 27.0 | .1 | - | 1.2 | 7.2 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 4.3 | .9 | 8.9 American Indian or Alaskan | | | | | | | | | | Native...................| 7.3 | .1 | .1 | 1.1 | 1.7 | .6 | .4 | .8 | .2 | 2.4 Not reported................| 509.8 | 5.1 | 10.2 | 30.7 | 107.4 | 98.2 | 32.5 | 99.5 | 12.2 | 114.0 ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ 1 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or without restricted work activity. 2 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 3 Data conforming to OSHA definitions for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal mining and for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; and by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Independent mining contractors are excluded from the coal, metal, and nonmetal industries. 4 In 1996, air courier operations previously classified in Industry Groups 421, 422, 423, 452, 473, and 478 were reclassified to Industry Group 451. As a result, the 1996 estimates for these SIC's and Major Industry Groups 42, 45, and 47 are not comparable to those for prior years. In addition, the 1996 estimates for transportation and public utilities may have more variability than those for prior years. 5 Information is not shown separately in this release for injured workers under age 14; they accounted for fewer than 50 cases. NOTE: Dashes indicate data that are not available. Because of rounding and nonclassifiable responses, data may not sum to the totals. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor Table 2. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (1) by selected worker characteristics and industry division, 1996 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | Goods-producing | Service-producing | |___________________________________________________________________________________________________|____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | Characteristic | Private industry (2) | Agriculture, | | | | Transportation and | | | Finance, | | | forestry, | Mining (3) | Construction | Manufacturing | public | Wholesale trade | Retail trade | insurance, | Services | | and | | | | utilities (3)(4) | | | and real | | | fishing (2) | | | | | | | estate | ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ | | | | | | | | | | Total [1,880,500 cases].| 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | | | | | | | | | | Sex: | | | | | | | | | | Men.........................| 65.9 | 82.3 | 97.6 | 97.2 | 74.3 | 79.5 | 87.6 | 54.8 | 48.8 | 38.1 Women.......................| 33.0 | 17.2 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 25.0 | 17.6 | 12.0 | 43.5 | 50.4 | 61.2 | | | | | | | | | | Age: (5) | | | | | | | | | | 14 to 15 years..............| .1 | .2 | - | - | - | - | .1 | .2 | - | .1 16 to 19 years..............| 3.9 | 5.6 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 8.7 | 2.0 | 3.6 20 to 24 years..............| 12.3 | 16.6 | 10.4 | 13.4 | 11.6 | 8.8 | 13.0 | 16.0 | 9.3 | 11.4 25 to 34 years..............| 29.8 | 33.3 | 23.2 | 34.6 | 28.9 | 28.6 | 32.9 | 28.5 | 29.1 | 29.1 35 to 44 years..............| 27.2 | 23.6 | 34.8 | 28.3 | 28.9 | 29.2 | 27.7 | 22.3 | 27.7 | 27.4 45 to 54 years..............| 16.2 | 12.2 | 20.2 | 12.0 | 18.2 | 20.6 | 14.9 | 12.7 | 18.5 | 16.5 55 to 64 years..............| 6.7 | 5.3 | 7.6 | 5.1 | 7.3 | 6.4 | 5.0 | 5.9 | 9.3 | 7.9 65 years and over...........| .9 | .7 | - | .4 | .7 | .6 | .7 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.4 | | | | | | | | | | Occupation: | | | | | | | | | | Managerial and professional | | | | | | | | | | specialty................| 5.7 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 15.0 | 15.9 Technical, sales, and | | | | | | | | | | administrative support...| 14.6 | 3.2 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 5.7 | 13.1 | 13.8 | 32.6 | 38.2 | 16.2 Service.....................| 17.7 | 1.5 | - | .4 | 1.9 | 5.9 | 1.3 | 25.2 | 24.6 | 48.1 Farming, forestry, and | | | | | | | | | | fishing..................| 2.4 | 75.2 | 1.3 | .1 | .6 | .6 | 1.1 | .4 | 4.7 | 1.5 Precision production, craft,| | | | | | | | | | and repair...............| 16.4 | 4.0 | 45.7 | 58.7 | 17.2 | 12.6 | 12.7 | 10.7 | 9.7 | 6.4 Operators, fabricators, and | | | | | | | | | | laborers.................| 42.4 | 14.6 | 47.7 | 37.5 | 71.8 | 65.9 | 66.9 | 26.7 | 7.2 | 11.3 | | | | | | | | | | Length of service with | | | | | | | | | | employer: | | | | | | | | | | Less than 3 months..........| 12.5 | 22.9 | 11.7 | 19.7 | 10.7 | 7.9 | 13.7 | 15.0 | 9.1 | 11.1 3 to 11 months..............| 18.2 | 18.9 | 18.1 | 22.3 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 18.6 | 20.8 | 16.5 | 20.3 1 to 5 years................| 31.3 | 34.3 | 27.7 | 31.8 | 30.7 | 24.0 | 34.2 | 32.6 | 32.7 | 33.0 More than 5 years...........| 26.9 | 17.5 | 35.4 | 18.7 | 34.3 | 34.6 | 26.6 | 19.7 | 30.1 | 24.3 Not reported................| 11.1 | 6.3 | 7.0 | 7.4 | 9.3 | 19.6 | 6.9 | 12.0 | 11.7 | 11.3 | | | | | | | | | | Race or ethnic origin: | | | | | | | | | | White, non-Hispanic.........| 53.3 | 39.1 | 24.6 | 66.2 | 56.7 | 40.7 | 57.9 | 54.7 | 49.3 | 50.7 Black, non-Hispanic.........| 8.8 | 3.9 | .7 | 4.9 | 8.4 | 8.8 | 8.8 | 6.1 | 9.1 | 13.4 Hispanic....................| 9.0 | 43.1 | 6.4 | 10.8 | 9.7 | 5.5 | 8.9 | 6.7 | 10.4 | 8.0 Asian or Pacific Islander...| 1.4 | .4 | - | .7 | 1.5 | .9 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 2.2 | 2.0 American Indian or Alaskan | | | | | | | | | | Native...................| .4 | .2 | .7 | .6 | .4 | .3 | .3 | .2 | .4 | .5 Not reported................| 27.1 | 13.3 | 67.5 | 16.8 | 23.2 | 43.8 | 22.5 | 30.9 | 28.6 | 25.4 ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ 1 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or without restricted work activity. 2 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 3 Data conforming to OSHA definitions for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal mining and for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; and by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Independent mining contractors are excluded from the coal, metal, and nonmetal industries. 4 In 1996, air courier operations previously classified in Industry Groups 421, 422, 423, 452, 473, and 478 were reclassified to Industry Group 451. As a result, the 1996 estimates for these SIC's and Major Industry Groups 42, 45, and 47 are not comparable to those for prior years. In addition, the 1996 estimates for transportation and public utilities may have more variability than those for prior years. 5 Information is not shown separately in this release for injured workers under age 14; they accounted for fewer than 50 cases. NOTE: Dashes indicate data that are not available. Because of rounding and nonclassifiable responses, percentages may not add to 100. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor Table 3. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (1) by selected occupations and industry division, 1996 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | Goods-producing | Service-producing | |___________________________________________________________________________________________________|____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | Occupation | Private industry (2) | Agriculture, | | | | Transportation and | | | Finance, | | | forestry, | Mining (3) | Construction | Manufacturing | public | Wholesale trade | Retail trade | insurance, | Services | | and | | | | utilities (3)(4) | | | and real | | | fishing (2) | | | | | | | estate | ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ | | | | | | | | | | Total....................| 1,880.5 | 38.3 | 15.1 | 182.3 | 462.2 | 224.0 | 144.7 | 322.0 | 42.8 | 449.0 | | | | | | | | | | Truck drivers.................| 152.8 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 13.1 | 80.8 | 26.8 | 14.5 | .2 | 10.0 Laborers, nonconstruction.....| 108.5 | 1.2 | 1.6 | - | 37.7 | 6.9 | 29.1 | 16.7 | 1.9 | 13.5 Nursing aides, orderlies......| 93.6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | .5 | 93.1 Janitors and cleaners.........| 46.9 | .5 | - | .3 | 7.3 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 6.7 | 6.5 | 23.3 Assemblers....................| 44.0 | .1 | - | .6 | 39.2 | .1 | 1.5 | .7 | - | 1.7 Construction laborers.........| 43.7 | - | - | 42.9 | .2 | .3 | - | - | .1 | .2 Carpenters....................| 33.5 | - | - | 25.9 | 3.1 | .1 | .6 | 1.9 | .4 | 1.5 Stock handlers and baggers....| 31.9 | .1 | - | - | 2.0 | .3 | 3.2 | 25.7 | - | .6 Cashiers......................| 30.9 | - | - | - | .1 | .1 | .4 | 27.7 | .2 | 2.4 Cooks.........................| 30.7 | - | - | .3 | .2 | .1 | .1 | 19.6 | .2 | 10.1 Miscellaneous food preparation| 28.9 | - | - | - | .2 | - | - | 20.6 | .2 | 7.8 Registered nurses.............| 28.9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 28.7 Maids and housemen............| 27.2 | - | - | - | .1 | .1 | - | .1 | 1.1 | 25.8 Supervisors and proprietors, | | | | | | | | | | sales......................| 26.9 | - | - | .2 | .4 | .1 | 2.6 | 21.9 | .5 | 1.4 Welders and cutters...........| 26.1 | .1 | .3 | 3.0 | 18.2 | .9 | 2.3 | - | - | 1.4 Sales workers, miscellaneous | | | | | | | | | | commodities................| 25.2 | - | - | - | .2 | .1 | 2.0 | 20.7 | .3 | 1.8 Automobile mechanics..........| 21.0 | - | - | .1 | .4 | .6 | 1.4 | 11.7 | - | 6.8 Shipping and receiving clerks.| 19.8 | .1 | - | .1 | 6.5 | 5.8 | 2.2 | 4.2 | - | .9 Groundskeepers and gardeners, | | | | | | | | | | except farm................| 18.5 | 8.6 | - | .2 | .2 | .4 | .2 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 5.9 Driver-sales workers..........| 17.5 | - | - | .1 | 4.1 | .6 | 8.6 | 2.9 | - | 1.3 Farm workers..................| 16.0 | 14.0 | .2 | - | .3 | .8 | .6 | - | - | - Electricians..................| 15.2 | - | .4 | 10.4 | 2.5 | .6 | .1 | - | - | 1.0 Health aides, except nursing..| 14.8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | .1 | 14.6 Plumbers, pipefitters, | | | | | | | | | | steamfitters...............| 13.4 | .1 | - | 9.4 | 1.9 | .4 | .8 | .2 | .1 | .5 Industrial truck, tractor | | | | | | | | | | equipment operators........| 13.2 | .3 | .4 | .3 | 6.7 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 1.2 | - | .3 Guards and police, except | | | | | | | | | | public.....................| 13.1 | - | - | - | .5 | 1.5 | .2 | 1.5 | .7 | 8.7 Packaging machine operators...| 12.9 | .1 | - | - | 11.4 | - | 1.1 | .1 | - | .1 Waiters and waitresses........| 12.5 | - | - | - | - | .1 | - | 8.6 | .1 | 3.7 Stock and inventory clerks....| 12.4 | - | - | .1 | 2.5 | .8 | 1.5 | 5.3 | .1 | 2.1 Supervisors, production.......| 12.2 | .1 | .1 | - | 8.7 | .5 | 1.4 | .6 | .1 | .6 Industrial machinery repairers| 11.9 | - | 1.4 | .1 | 9.1 | .3 | .5 | .1 | - | .4 Licensed practical nurses.....| 11.8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | .1 | 11.7 Bus, truck, stationary engine | | | | | | | | | | mechanics..................| 11.4 | - | - | .3 | .7 | 5.0 | 2.6 | 1.4 | - | 1.5 Kitchen workers, food | | | | | | | | | | preparation................| 11.2 | - | - | - | .1 | - | - | 10.2 | - | .9 ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ 1 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or without restricted work activity. 2 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 3 Data conforming to OSHA definitions for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal mining and for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; and by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Independent mining contractors are excluded from the coal, metal, and nonmetal industries. 4 In 1996, air courier operations previously classified in Industry Groups 421, 422, 423, 452, 473, and 478 were reclassified to Industry Group 451. As a result, the 1996 estimates for these SIC's and Major Industry Groups 42, 45, and 47 are not comparable to those for prior years. In addition, the 1996 estimates for transportation and public utilities may have more variability than those for prior years. NOTE: Dashes indicate data that are not available. Because of rounding and occupations not shown, data may not sum to the totals. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor Table 4. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (1) by selected injury or illness characteristics and industry division, 1996 (Numbers in thousands) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | Goods-producing | Service-producing | |___________________________________________________________________________________________________|____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | Characteristic | Private industry (2) | Agriculture, | | | | Transportation and | | | Finance, | | | forestry, | Mining (3) | Construction | Manufacturing | public | Wholesale trade | Retail trade | insurance, | Services | | and | | | | utilities (3)(4) | | | and real | | | fishing (2) | | | | | | | estate | ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ | | | | | | | | | | Total....................| 1,880.5 | 38.3 | 15.1 | 182.3 | 462.2 | 224.0 | 144.7 | 322.0 | 42.8 | 449.0 | | | | | | | | | | Nature of injury, illness: | | | | | | | | | | Sprains, strains............| 819.7 | 13.1 | 5.8 | 68.6 | 176.7 | 117.7 | 64.3 | 135.0 | 17.2 | 221.2 Bruises, contusions.........| 174.9 | 3.6 | 1.6 | 12.9 | 41.3 | 22.4 | 14.3 | 36.5 | 3.0 | 39.1 Cuts, lacerations...........| 133.2 | 3.8 | 1.4 | 18.7 | 38.3 | 7.6 | 8.4 | 31.9 | 2.6 | 20.6 Fractures...................| 120.5 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 18.1 | 31.2 | 12.3 | 10.2 | 18.9 | 2.8 | 21.9 Carpal tunnel syndrome......| 29.9 | .2 | - | 1.3 | 12.4 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 4.6 | 1.6 | 6.7 Heat burns..................| 29.0 | .3 | .2 | 2.2 | 8.4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 8.8 | .4 | 6.7 Tendonitis..................| 17.4 | .2 | - | .5 | 8.9 | 1.0 | .8 | 2.3 | .5 | 3.3 Chemical burns..............| 11.6 | .1 | .1 | .8 | 4.3 | .8 | 1.0 | 2.0 | .2 | 2.2 Amputations.................| 10.2 | .3 | .1 | 1.2 | 5.5 | .4 | .9 | 1.1 | .1 | .6 Multiple injuries...........| 60.3 | 1.3 | .9 | 5.4 | 12.9 | 6.4 | 5.6 | 10.2 | 1.7 | 15.7 | | | | | | | | | | Part of body affected: | | | | | | | | | | Head........................| 124.0 | 3.7 | 1.2 | 15.5 | 34.7 | 13.0 | 9.3 | 20.4 | 2.9 | 23.3 Eye.......................| 66.0 | 1.8 | .5 | 10.6 | 23.3 | 5.5 | 5.2 | 8.3 | 1.3 | 9.4 Neck........................| 34.5 | .5 | .4 | 2.5 | 6.9 | 5.9 | 2.8 | 5.6 | .8 | 9.2 Trunk.......................| 715.6 | 14.5 | 5.3 | 63.8 | 161.5 | 95.6 | 59.2 | 117.3 | 12.8 | 185.5 Shoulder..................| 96.5 | 1.9 | .6 | 7.7 | 24.9 | 14.9 | 7.3 | 13.7 | 1.7 | 23.7 Back......................| 490.6 | 9.3 | 3.5 | 43.9 | 104.4 | 63.6 | 41.0 | 81.7 | 9.0 | 134.1 Upper extremities...........| 425.6 | 7.8 | 3.1 | 41.7 | 141.4 | 34.0 | 27.4 | 80.1 | 10.5 | 79.6 Wrist.....................| 95.0 | 1.2 | .4 | 7.1 | 31.1 | 7.8 | 5.0 | 16.1 | 3.7 | 22.6 Hand, except finger.......| 75.6 | 2.2 | .3 | 9.0 | 22.2 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 16.4 | 1.3 | 13.5 Finger....................| 152.6 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 16.4 | 57.3 | 9.1 | 10.7 | 29.9 | 2.7 | 22.2 Lower extremities...........| 375.5 | 7.7 | 3.6 | 40.8 | 80.8 | 49.2 | 31.0 | 66.6 | 8.4 | 87.4 Knee......................| 127.6 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 14.2 | 26.4 | 17.4 | 9.1 | 23.2 | 3.0 | 30.8 Foot, except toe..........| 68.4 | 1.5 | .5 | 6.9 | 17.0 | 8.4 | 6.9 | 13.5 | 1.1 | 12.5 Toe.......................| 23.4 | .5 | .2 | 2.6 | 5.7 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 4.8 | .2 | 4.2 Body systems................| 26.8 | .6 | .1 | 1.9 | 5.5 | 2.6 | .9 | 3.3 | 1.5 | 10.4 Multiple parts..............| 161.0 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 14.3 | 27.2 | 22.0 | 12.7 | 25.9 | 5.5 | 49.3 | | | | | | | | | | Source of injury, illness: | | | | | | | | | | Chemicals and chemical | | | | | | | | | | products.................| 34.9 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 10.9 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 5.3 | 0.8 | 10.0 Containers..................| 272.9 | 3.3 | .9 | 9.4 | 64.7 | 48.5 | 31.8 | 72.3 | 4.2 | 37.6 Furniture and fixtures......| 68.6 | .2 | .1 | 3.9 | 12.8 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 18.0 | 2.2 | 24.1 Machinery...................| 123.2 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 11.3 | 51.7 | 6.9 | 9.5 | 21.0 | 2.3 | 15.8 Parts and materials.........| 208.9 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 44.2 | 82.3 | 19.9 | 19.4 | 19.3 | 1.8 | 16.8 Worker motion or position...| 273.0 | 4.6 | .4 | 21.8 | 84.9 | 32.7 | 16.8 | 40.2 | 8.0 | 63.6 Floors, walkways, ground | | | | | | | | | | surfaces.................| 304.5 | 6.4 | 2.2 | 32.9 | 48.7 | 40.0 | 19.4 | 60.5 | 11.4 | 83.0 Tools, instruments, and | | | | | | | | | | equipment................| 114.3 | 3.9 | 1.2 | 19.2 | 29.3 | 8.3 | 6.0 | 20.7 | 1.9 | 23.7 Vehicles....................| 151.0 | 3.6 | 1.5 | 10.4 | 22.1 | 37.3 | 19.9 | 23.2 | 2.5 | 30.4 Health care patient.........| 86.7 | - | - | - | - | 1.4 | .1 | - | .4 | 84.7 | | | | | | | | | | Event or exposure: | | | | | | | | | | Contact with objects and | | | | | | | | | | equipment ...............| 492.9 | 12.1 | 6.5 | 60.0 | 152.9 | 44.9 | 42.3 | 88.5 | 8.1 | 77.6 Struck by object..........| 238.9 | 5.6 | 3.2 | 32.6 | 65.1 | 21.7 | 21.7 | 48.1 | 3.7 | 37.1 Struck against object.....| 127.5 | 3.6 | 1.3 | 13.7 | 35.0 | 12.0 | 9.9 | 24.3 | 2.7 | 24.9 Caught in equipment or | | | | | | | | | | object.................| 79.5 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 5.9 | 37.7 | 5.9 | 7.2 | 9.8 | .7 | 9.0 Fall to lower level.........| 98.5 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 21.4 | 14.6 | 17.1 | 7.9 | 11.7 | 3.6 | 17.9 Fall to same level..........| 219.4 | 3.6 | 1.1 | 14.6 | 37.6 | 24.1 | 11.6 | 52.2 | 8.1 | 66.7 Slips, trips, loss of | | | | | | | | | | balance--without fall....| 59.3 | 1.0 | .1 | 5.4 | 12.2 | 8.2 | 3.7 | 10.8 | 1.3 | 16.5 Overexertion................| 526.6 | 7.3 | 3.9 | 42.0 | 120.0 | 68.2 | 45.2 | 84.1 | 8.1 | 147.7 Overexertion in lifting...| 311.9 | 4.2 | 1.5 | 24.1 | 66.4 | 38.6 | 29.2 | 59.5 | 5.3 | 83.1 Repetitive motion...........| 73.8 | .5 | .1 | 2.9 | 36.6 | 4.1 | 3.3 | 9.7 | 3.6 | 13.1 Exposure to harmful | | | | | | | | | | substances...............| 87.2 | 2.0 | .6 | 7.1 | 24.9 | 6.7 | 4.4 | 15.8 | 2.0 | 23.8 Transportation accidents....| 77.6 | 2.0 | .4 | 7.3 | 8.7 | 18.3 | 10.5 | 10.8 | 1.9 | 17.7 Fires and explosions........| 4.1 | .1 | .1 | .9 | 1.1 | .5 | .3 | .5 | .1 | .6 Assaults and violent acts by| | | | | | | | | | person...................| 18.5 | .1 | - | .2 | .5 | .7 | .2 | 3.3 | .5 | 13.1 ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ 1 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or without restricted work activity. 2 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 3 Data conforming to OSHA definitions for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal mining and for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; and by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Independent mining contractors are excluded from the coal, metal, and nonmetal industries. 4 In 1996, air courier operations previously classified in Industry Groups 421, 422, 423, 452, 473, and 478 were reclassified to Industry Group 451. As a result, the 1996 estimates for these SIC's and Major Industry Groups 42, 45, and 47 are not comparable to those for prior years. In addition, the 1996 estimates for transportation and public utilities may have more variability than those for prior years. NOTE: Dashes indicate data that are not available. Because of rounding and classifications not shown, data may not sum to the totals. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor Table 5. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (1) by selected injury or illness characteristics and industry division, 1996 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | Goods-producing | Service-producing | |___________________________________________________________________________________________________|____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | | Characteristic | Private industry (2) | Agriculture, | | | | Transportation and | | | Finance, | | | forestry, | Mining (3) | Construction | Manufacturing | public | Wholesale trade | Retail trade | insurance, | Services | | and | | | | utilities (3)(4) | | | and real | | | fishing (2) | | | | | | | estate | ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ | | | | | | | | | | Total [1,880,500 cases].| 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | | | | | | | | | | Nature of injury, illness: | | | | | | | | | | Sprains, strains............| 43.6 | 34.2 | 38.8 | 37.6 | 38.2 | 52.6 | 44.4 | 41.9 | 40.1 | 49.3 Bruises, contusions.........| 9.3 | 9.5 | 10.4 | 7.1 | 8.9 | 10.0 | 9.9 | 11.3 | 7.1 | 8.7 Cuts, lacerations...........| 7.1 | 9.9 | 9.0 | 10.3 | 8.3 | 3.4 | 5.8 | 9.9 | 6.2 | 4.6 Fractures...................| 6.4 | 7.7 | 14.0 | 9.9 | 6.8 | 5.5 | 7.0 | 5.9 | 6.4 | 4.9 Carpal tunnel syndrome......| 1.6 | .5 | - | .7 | 2.7 | .7 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 3.8 | 1.5 Heat burns..................| 1.5 | .7 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.8 | .5 | .7 | 2.7 | .9 | 1.5 Tendonitis..................| .9 | .4 | - | .3 | 1.9 | .4 | .5 | .7 | 1.3 | .7 Chemical burns..............| .6 | .3 | .7 | .4 | .9 | .4 | .7 | .6 | .6 | .5 Amputations.................| .5 | .7 | .7 | .7 | 1.2 | .2 | .6 | .3 | .2 | .1 Multiple injuries...........| 3.2 | 3.5 | 6.2 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.5 | | | | | | | | | | Part of body affected: | | | | | | | | | | Head........................| 6.6 | 9.7 | 7.8 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 5.8 | 6.4 | 6.3 | 6.7 | 5.2 Eye.......................| 3.5 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 5.8 | 5.0 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 2.1 Neck........................| 1.8 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.1 Trunk.......................| 38.1 | 37.9 | 35.3 | 35.0 | 34.9 | 42.7 | 40.9 | 36.4 | 29.9 | 41.3 Shoulder..................| 5.1 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 5.4 | 6.6 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 5.3 Back......................| 26.1 | 24.3 | 23.0 | 24.1 | 22.6 | 28.4 | 28.3 | 25.4 | 21.1 | 29.9 Upper extremities...........| 22.6 | 20.4 | 20.7 | 22.9 | 30.6 | 15.2 | 19.0 | 24.9 | 24.4 | 17.7 Wrist.....................| 5.0 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 3.9 | 6.7 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 5.0 | 8.6 | 5.0 Hand, except finger.......| 4.0 | 5.8 | 2.3 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 5.1 | 3.0 | 3.0 Finger....................| 8.1 | 7.3 | 11.1 | 9.0 | 12.4 | 4.0 | 7.4 | 9.3 | 6.3 | 4.9 Lower extremities...........| 20.0 | 20.2 | 24.1 | 22.4 | 17.5 | 21.9 | 21.4 | 20.7 | 19.6 | 19.5 Knee......................| 6.8 | 5.8 | 9.0 | 7.8 | 5.7 | 7.8 | 6.3 | 7.2 | 7.0 | 6.9 Foot, except toe..........| 3.6 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 2.6 | 2.8 Toe.......................| 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.5 | .5 | .9 Body systems................| 1.4 | 1.5 | .9 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.2 | .6 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 2.3 Multiple parts..............| 8.6 | 7.7 | 8.2 | 7.9 | 5.9 | 9.8 | 8.8 | 8.0 | 12.8 | 11.0 | | | | | | | | | | Source of injury, illness: | | | | | | | | | | Chemicals and chemical | | | | | | | | | | products.................| 1.9 | 1.7 | 6.8 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 2.2 Containers..................| 14.5 | 8.7 | 6.2 | 5.2 | 14.0 | 21.6 | 22.0 | 22.5 | 9.7 | 8.4 Furniture and fixtures......| 3.6 | .6 | .5 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 5.6 | 5.2 | 5.4 Machinery...................| 6.6 | 6.7 | 14.3 | 6.2 | 11.2 | 3.1 | 6.6 | 6.5 | 5.4 | 3.5 Parts and materials.........| 11.1 | 7.1 | 16.7 | 24.2 | 17.8 | 8.9 | 13.4 | 6.0 | 4.1 | 3.7 Worker motion or position...| 14.5 | 12.0 | 2.8 | 11.9 | 18.4 | 14.6 | 11.6 | 12.5 | 18.7 | 14.2 Floors, walkways, ground | | | | | | | | | | surfaces.................| 16.2 | 16.7 | 14.7 | 18.0 | 10.5 | 17.8 | 13.4 | 18.8 | 26.7 | 18.5 Tools, instruments, and | | | | | | | | | | equipment................| 6.1 | 10.2 | 8.0 | 10.5 | 6.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 6.4 | 4.5 | 5.3 Vehicles....................| 8.0 | 9.5 | 10.0 | 5.7 | 4.8 | 16.7 | 13.7 | 7.2 | 5.9 | 6.8 Health care patient.........| 4.6 | - | - | - | - | .6 | - | - | 1.0 | 18.9 | | | | | | | | | | Event or exposure: | | | | | | | | | | Contact with objects and | | | | | | | | | | equipment ...............| 26.2 | 31.7 | 43.2 | 32.9 | 33.1 | 20.1 | 29.2 | 27.5 | 18.8 | 17.3 Struck by object..........| 12.7 | 14.6 | 21.5 | 17.9 | 14.1 | 9.7 | 15.0 | 14.9 | 8.7 | 8.3 Struck against object.....| 6.8 | 9.3 | 8.9 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 5.4 | 6.9 | 7.5 | 6.2 | 5.5 Caught in equipment or | | | | | | | | | | object.................| 4.2 | 4.0 | 11.2 | 3.3 | 8.2 | 2.6 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 2.0 Fall to lower level.........| 5.2 | 7.6 | 10.0 | 11.7 | 3.2 | 7.6 | 5.4 | 3.6 | 8.5 | 4.0 Fall to same level..........| 11.7 | 9.3 | 7.6 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 10.7 | 8.0 | 16.2 | 18.9 | 14.8 Slips, trips, loss of | | | | | | | | | | balance--without fall....| 3.2 | 2.7 | .9 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.7 Overexertion................| 28.0 | 19.1 | 26.0 | 23.0 | 26.0 | 30.4 | 31.3 | 26.1 | 19.0 | 32.9 Overexertion in lifting...| 16.6 | 10.9 | 10.1 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 17.2 | 20.2 | 18.5 | 12.4 | 18.5 Repetitive motion...........| 3.9 | 1.3 | .5 | 1.6 | 7.9 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 8.4 | 2.9 Exposure to harmful | | | | | | | | | | substances...............| 4.6 | 5.3 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 5.4 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 5.3 Transportation accidents....| 4.1 | 5.1 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 1.9 | 8.2 | 7.2 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.0 Fires and explosions........| .2 | .3 | .8 | .5 | .2 | .2 | .2 | .2 | .3 | .1 Assaults and violent acts by| | | | | | | | | | person...................| 1.0 | .2 | - | .1 | .1 | .3 | .1 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 2.9 ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ 1 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or without restricted work activity. 2 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 3 Data conforming to OSHA definitions for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal mining and for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; and by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Independent mining contractors are excluded from the coal, metal, and nonmetal industries. 4 In 1996, air courier operations previously classified in Industry Groups 421, 422, 423, 452, 473, and 478 were reclassified to Industry Group 451. As a result, the 1996 estimates for these SIC's and Major Industry Groups 42, 45, and 47 are not comparable to those for prior years. In addition, the 1996 estimates for transportation and public utilities may have more variability than those for prior years. NOTE: Dashes indicate data that are not available. Because of rounding and classifications not shown, percentages may not add to 100. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor Table 6. Incidence rates (1) for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (2) per 10,000 full-time workers for selected characteristics and industry division, 1996 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | Goods-producing | Service-producing | |___________________________________________________________________________________________________|____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | Private | | | | | | | | | Characteristic | industry (3) | Agriculture, | | | | Transportation and | | | Finance, | | | forestry, | Mining (4) | Construction | Manufacturing | public | Wholesale trade | Retail trade | insurance, | Services | | and | | | | utilities (4)(5) | | | and real | | | fishing (3) | | | | | | | estate | ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ | | | | | | | | | | Total [1,880,500 cases].| 223.8 | 295.5 | 245.2 | 372.2 | 251.2 | 380.7 | 232.2 | 198.5 | 69.9 | 184.3 | | | | | | | | | | Nature of injury, illness: | | | | | | | | | | Sprains, strains............| 97.6 | 101.0 | 95.0 | 140.2 | 96.0 | 200.1 | 103.2 | 83.2 | 28.0 | 90.8 Bruises, contusions.........| 20.8 | 28.0 | 25.6 | 26.3 | 22.5 | 38.1 | 23.0 | 22.5 | 5.0 | 16.1 Cuts, lacerations...........| 15.8 | 29.3 | 22.2 | 38.2 | 20.8 | 12.8 | 13.4 | 19.6 | 4.3 | 8.5 Fractures...................| 14.3 | 22.7 | 34.4 | 37.0 | 17.0 | 20.9 | 16.4 | 11.7 | 4.5 | 9.0 Carpal tunnel syndrome......| 3.6 | 1.4 | - | 2.7 | 6.7 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 2.8 Heat burns..................| 3.5 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 5.4 | - | 2.8 Tendonitis..................| 2.1 | 1.2 | - | 1.1 | 4.8 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 1.4 | - | 1.3 Chemical burns..............| 1.4 | - | 1.6 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.2 | - | - Amputations.................| 1.2 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 3.0 | - | 1.5 | - | - | - Multiple injuries...........| 7.2 | 10.4 | 15.3 | 11.0 | 7.0 | 10.9 | 9.1 | 6.3 | 2.7 | 6.4 | | | | | | | | | | Part of body affected: | | | | | | | | | | Head........................| 14.8 | 28.6 | 19.0 | 31.7 | 18.8 | 22.0 | 15.0 | 12.6 | 4.7 | 9.6 Eye.......................| 7.9 | 14.2 | 7.6 | 21.6 | 12.7 | 9.3 | 8.3 | 5.1 | 2.2 | 3.9 Neck........................| 4.1 | 3.8 | 5.9 | 5.0 | 3.7 | 10.1 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 3.8 Trunk.......................| 85.2 | 112.1 | 86.7 | 130.3 | 87.8 | 162.6 | 95.0 | 72.3 | 20.9 | 76.1 Shoulder..................| 11.5 | 14.8 | 10.3 | 15.7 | 13.6 | 25.3 | 11.7 | 8.4 | 2.8 | 9.7 Back......................| 58.4 | 71.9 | 56.5 | 89.7 | 56.8 | 108.2 | 65.8 | 50.3 | 14.8 | 55.1 Upper extremities...........| 50.7 | 60.4 | 50.8 | 85.1 | 76.8 | 57.8 | 44.0 | 49.4 | 17.1 | 32.7 Wrist.....................| 11.3 | 9.2 | 6.4 | 14.5 | 16.9 | 13.3 | 8.0 | 9.9 | 6.0 | 9.3 Hand, except finger.......| 9.0 | 17.2 | 5.6 | 18.3 | 12.1 | 9.2 | 8.4 | 10.1 | 2.1 | 5.5 Finger....................| 18.2 | 21.6 | 27.3 | 33.4 | 31.1 | 15.4 | 17.1 | 18.4 | 4.4 | 9.1 Lower extremities...........| 44.7 | 59.7 | 59.1 | 83.3 | 43.9 | 83.6 | 49.8 | 41.0 | 13.7 | 35.9 Knee......................| 15.2 | 17.2 | 22.0 | 29.0 | 14.3 | 29.6 | 14.7 | 14.3 | 4.9 | 12.6 Foot, except toe..........| 8.1 | 11.7 | 8.5 | 14.2 | 9.2 | 14.3 | 11.1 | 8.3 | 1.8 | 5.1 Toe.......................| 2.8 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 5.3 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 3.0 | - | 1.7 Body systems................| 3.2 | 4.6 | 2.2 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 4.3 Multiple parts..............| 19.2 | 22.8 | 20.0 | 29.2 | 14.8 | 37.4 | 20.4 | 16.0 | 9.0 | 20.2 | | | | | | | | | | Source of injury, illness: | | | | | | | | | | Chemicals and chemical | | | | | | | | | | products.................| 4.2 | 5.0 | 16.6 | 4.2 | 5.9 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 4.1 Containers..................| 32.5 | 25.7 | 15.2 | 19.3 | 35.2 | 82.4 | 51.0 | 44.6 | 6.8 | 15.4 Furniture and fixtures......| 8.2 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 7.9 | 7.0 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 11.1 | 3.6 | 9.9 Machinery...................| 14.7 | 19.8 | 35.2 | 23.1 | 28.1 | 11.7 | 15.2 | 12.9 | 3.8 | 6.5 Parts and materials.........| 24.9 | 21.1 | 41.0 | 90.3 | 44.7 | 33.8 | 31.2 | 11.9 | 2.9 | 6.9 Worker motion or position...| 32.5 | 35.4 | 6.8 | 44.4 | 46.1 | 55.6 | 27.0 | 24.8 | 13.0 | 26.1 Floors, walkways, ground | | | | | | | | | | surfaces.................| 36.2 | 49.5 | 36.1 | 67.1 | 26.5 | 68.0 | 31.1 | 37.3 | 18.7 | 34.1 Tools, instruments, and | | | | | | | | | | equipment................| 13.6 | 30.3 | 19.6 | 39.3 | 15.9 | 14.1 | 9.6 | 12.8 | 3.1 | 9.7 Vehicles....................| 18.0 | 28.0 | 24.4 | 21.3 | 12.0 | 63.5 | 31.9 | 14.3 | 4.1 | 12.5 Health care patient.........| 10.3 | - | - | - | - | 2.4 | - | - | - | 34.8 | | | | | | | | | | Event or exposure: | | | | | | | | | | Contact with objects and | | | | | | | | | | equipment ...............| 58.7 | 93.8 | 105.8 | 122.5 | 83.1 | 76.4 | 67.9 | 54.5 | 13.2 | 31.9 Struck by object..........| 28.4 | 43.2 | 52.7 | 66.6 | 35.4 | 36.9 | 34.8 | 29.7 | 6.0 | 15.2 Struck against object.....| 15.2 | 27.6 | 21.8 | 28.0 | 19.0 | 20.5 | 16.0 | 15.0 | 4.4 | 10.2 Caught in equipment or | | | | | | | | | | object.................| 9.5 | 11.7 | 27.6 | 12.1 | 20.5 | 10.0 | 11.6 | 6.0 | 1.2 | 3.7 Fall to lower level.........| 11.7 | 22.3 | 24.5 | 43.6 | 7.9 | 29.0 | 12.6 | 7.2 | 5.9 | 7.3 Fall to same level..........| 26.1 | 27.5 | 18.6 | 29.7 | 20.4 | 40.9 | 18.6 | 32.1 | 13.2 | 27.4 Slips, trips, loss of | | | | | | | | | | balance--without fall....| 7.1 | 8.1 | 2.1 | 11.0 | 6.6 | 14.0 | 6.0 | 6.6 | 2.1 | 6.8 Overexertion................| 62.7 | 56.5 | 63.7 | 85.7 | 65.2 | 115.8 | 72.6 | 51.8 | 13.3 | 60.6 Overexertion in lifting...| 37.1 | 32.3 | 24.8 | 49.2 | 36.1 | 65.5 | 46.9 | 36.7 | 8.6 | 34.1 Repetitive motion...........| 8.8 | 3.8 | 1.2 | 5.9 | 19.9 | 7.0 | 5.3 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 5.4 Exposure to harmful | | | | | | | | | | substances...............| 10.4 | 15.6 | 9.1 | 14.4 | 13.6 | 11.3 | 7.0 | 9.8 | 3.2 | 9.8 Transportation accidents....| 9.2 | 15.2 | 7.2 | 14.8 | 4.7 | 31.2 | 16.8 | 6.6 | 3.1 | 7.3 Fires and explosions........| - | - | 2.0 | 1.8 | - | - | - | - | - | - Assaults and violent acts by| | | | | | | | | | person...................| 2.2 | - | - | - | - | 1.2 | - | 2.0 | - | 5.4 ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ 1 Incidence rates represent the number of injuries and illnesses per 10,000 full-time workers and were calculated as: (N/EH) x 20,000,000 where N = number of injuries and illnesses EH = total hours worked by all employees during the calendar year 20,000,000 = base for 10,000 equivalent full-time workers (working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year). 2 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or without restricted work activity. 3 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 4 Data conforming to OSHA definitions for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal mining and for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; and by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Independent mining contractors are excluded from the coal, metal, and nonmetal industries. 5 In 1996, air courier operations previously classified in Industry Groups 421, 422, 423, 452, 473, and 478 were reclassified to Industry Group 451. As a result, the 1996 estimates for these SIC's and Major Industry Groups 42, 45, and 47 are not comparable to those for prior years. In addition, the 1996 estimates for transportation and public utilities may have more variability than those for prior years. NOTE: Dashes indicate data that are not available or incidence rates less than 1.0 per 10,000 full-time workers. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor Table 7. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (1) by selected worker characteristics and number of days away from work, 1996 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | Percent of cases involving | | Total |______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Median Characteristic | cases | | | | | | | | days away | | 1 day | 2 days | 3 to 5 | 6 to 10 | 11 to 20 | 21 to 30 | 31 days | from work | | | | days | days | days | days | or more | ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ | | | | | | | | | Total [1,880,500 cases].| 100.0 | 16.7 | 13.1 | 20.6 | 13.2 | 11.7 | 6.2 | 18.5 | 5 | | | | | | | | | Sex: | | | | | | | | | Men.........................| 100.0 | 16.6 | 12.8 | 20.0 | 13.1 | 11.8 | 6.4 | 19.1 | 6 Women.......................| 100.0 | 16.8 | 13.5 | 21.8 | 13.4 | 11.5 | 5.9 | 17.1 | 5 | | | | | | | | | Age: (2) | | | | | | | | | 14 to 15 years..............| 100.0 | 22.4 | 36.6 | 15.0 | 6.3 | 3.6 | 11.2 | 4.9 | 2 16 to 19 years..............| 100.0 | 21.5 | 16.8 | 23.0 | 15.0 | 8.9 | 4.2 | 10.7 | 4 20 to 24 years..............| 100.0 | 20.9 | 14.4 | 24.3 | 12.9 | 10.7 | 5.0 | 11.7 | 4 25 to 34 years..............| 100.0 | 18.5 | 14.0 | 21.1 | 13.0 | 11.3 | 6.1 | 15.9 | 5 35 to 44 years..............| 100.0 | 16.0 | 12.5 | 20.1 | 13.4 | 11.9 | 6.3 | 20.0 | 6 45 to 54 years..............| 100.0 | 12.7 | 10.8 | 18.9 | 13.2 | 12.6 | 7.4 | 24.5 | 8 55 to 64 years..............| 100.0 | 11.8 | 10.9 | 16.9 | 13.4 | 14.1 | 7.4 | 25.5 | 9 65 years and over...........| 100.0 | 9.6 | 11.1 | 17.2 | 13.2 | 11.9 | 7.1 | 29.9 | 10 | | | | | | | | | Occupation: | | | | | | | | | Managerial and professional | | | | | | | | | specialty................| 100.0 | 20.1 | 16.3 | 23.5 | 12.6 | 9.4 | 4.6 | 13.4 | 4 Technical, sales, and | | | | | | | | | administrative support...| 100.0 | 17.8 | 13.5 | 20.9 | 13.1 | 11.4 | 6.2 | 17.0 | 5 Service.....................| 100.0 | 15.8 | 13.8 | 24.1 | 13.8 | 11.9 | 5.8 | 14.8 | 5 Farming, forestry, and | | | | | | | | | fishing..................| 100.0 | 17.4 | 13.7 | 21.4 | 15.7 | 10.0 | 7.2 | 14.7 | 5 Precision production, craft,| | | | | | | | | and repair...............| 100.0 | 16.4 | 12.3 | 18.9 | 13.0 | 11.6 | 6.7 | 21.1 | 6 Operators, fabricators, and | | | | | | | | | laborers.................| 100.0 | 16.2 | 12.4 | 19.3 | 13.0 | 12.1 | 6.5 | 20.5 | 6 | | | | | | | | | Length of service with | | | | | | | | | employer: | | | | | | | | | Less than 3 months..........| 100.0 | 17.5 | 13.8 | 23.1 | 13.2 | 10.5 | 5.7 | 16.3 | 5 3 to 11 months..............| 100.0 | 18.7 | 14.5 | 21.6 | 12.7 | 10.8 | 5.1 | 16.7 | 5 1 to 5 years................| 100.0 | 17.5 | 13.3 | 20.9 | 13.5 | 11.2 | 6.2 | 17.3 | 5 More than 5 years...........| 100.0 | 14.0 | 11.7 | 18.7 | 13.3 | 13.1 | 7.2 | 22.0 | 7 | | | | | | | | | Race or ethnic origin: | | | | | | | | | White, non-Hispanic.........| 100.0 | 17.0 | 13.5 | 20.3 | 13.1 | 11.6 | 6.3 | 18.2 | 5 Black, non-Hispanic.........| 100.0 | 16.7 | 13.2 | 22.2 | 12.3 | 11.7 | 5.6 | 18.3 | 5 Hispanic....................| 100.0 | 15.4 | 11.7 | 20.6 | 14.6 | 11.4 | 6.6 | 19.7 | 6 Asian or Pacific Islander...| 100.0 | 19.2 | 13.6 | 20.0 | 13.3 | 10.5 | 6.4 | 17.0 | 5 American Indian or Alaskan | | | | | | | | | Native...................| 100.0 | 20.0 | 13.5 | 23.3 | 11.7 | 11.1 | 5.8 | 14.5 | 4 ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ 1 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or without restricted work activity. 2 Information is not shown separately in this release for injured workers under age 14; they accounted for fewer than 50 cases. NOTE: Because of rounding, percentages may not add to 100. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor Table 8. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (1) by selected occupations and number of days away from work, 1996 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | Percent of cases involving | | Total |______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Median Occupation | cases | | | | | | | | days away | | 1 day | 2 days | 3 to 5 | 6 to 10 | 11 to 20 | 21 to 30 | 31 days | from work | | | | days | days | days | days | or more | ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ | | | | | | | | | Total [1,880,500 cases].| 100.0 | 16.7 | 13.1 | 20.6 | 13.2 | 11.7 | 6.2 | 18.5 | 5 | | | | | | | | | Truck drivers.................| 100.0 | 10.2 | 9.7 | 19.4 | 13.7 | 13.8 | 7.2 | 26.1 | 10 Laborers, nonconstruction.....| 100.0 | 19.4 | 13.3 | 20.1 | 12.8 | 11.3 | 5.5 | 17.6 | 5 Nursing aides, orderlies......| 100.0 | 15.4 | 15.2 | 23.7 | 14.4 | 11.0 | 5.5 | 14.8 | 5 Janitors and cleaners.........| 100.0 | 16.6 | 13.6 | 24.0 | 11.1 | 12.0 | 5.4 | 17.4 | 5 Assemblers....................| 100.0 | 17.3 | 12.2 | 16.8 | 13.9 | 11.6 | 6.8 | 21.5 | 7 Construction laborers.........| 100.0 | 12.7 | 11.4 | 19.8 | 13.0 | 11.8 | 8.5 | 22.9 | 8 Carpenters....................| 100.0 | 14.4 | 14.3 | 17.2 | 13.6 | 10.7 | 6.5 | 23.3 | 7 Stock handlers and baggers....| 100.0 | 17.2 | 17.0 | 23.3 | 12.7 | 11.1 | 5.5 | 13.2 | 4 Cashiers......................| 100.0 | 17.5 | 12.8 | 22.0 | 15.6 | 11.5 | 6.6 | 13.9 | 5 Cooks.........................| 100.0 | 20.6 | 10.3 | 26.9 | 15.9 | 11.1 | 6.3 | 8.9 | 5 Miscellaneous food preparation| 100.0 | 15.6 | 15.7 | 17.3 | 13.6 | 15.4 | 9.1 | 13.3 | 6 Registered nurses.............| 100.0 | 17.8 | 16.8 | 24.5 | 14.7 | 9.5 | 5.7 | 11.0 | 4 Maids and housemen............| 100.0 | 15.3 | 14.9 | 27.2 | 10.6 | 10.9 | 3.2 | 17.9 | 4 Supervisors and proprietors, | | | | | | | | | sales......................| 100.0 | 12.7 | 10.3 | 19.4 | 14.7 | 14.0 | 10.5 | 18.6 | 8 Welders and cutters...........| 100.0 | 25.9 | 15.7 | 16.7 | 9.3 | 10.7 | 6.1 | 15.6 | 4 Sales workers, miscellaneous | | | | | | | | | commodities................| 100.0 | 16.8 | 14.6 | 24.2 | 11.8 | 8.5 | 5.8 | 18.2 | 5 Automobile mechanics..........| 100.0 | 16.9 | 11.4 | 19.3 | 11.2 | 7.6 | 5.7 | 28.0 | 7 Shipping and receiving clerks.| 100.0 | 18.4 | 12.9 | 20.5 | 14.1 | 11.4 | 6.5 | 16.2 | 5 Groundskeepers and gardeners, | | | | | | | | | except farm................| 100.0 | 21.0 | 13.8 | 22.1 | 12.6 | 8.6 | 6.1 | 15.8 | 5 Driver-sales workers..........| 100.0 | 13.2 | 10.7 | 21.6 | 11.1 | 17.7 | 6.0 | 19.5 | 7 Farm workers..................| 100.0 | 14.2 | 12.7 | 22.9 | 17.8 | 10.7 | 7.9 | 13.8 | 6 Electricians..................| 100.0 | 20.8 | 9.9 | 17.8 | 13.1 | 9.8 | 8.3 | 20.2 | 6 Health aides, except nursing..| 100.0 | 16.9 | 9.0 | 32.7 | 15.3 | 7.7 | 8.1 | 10.3 | 5 Plumbers, pipefitters, | | | | | | | | | steamfitters...............| 100.0 | 16.3 | 10.8 | 19.0 | 12.8 | 10.6 | 7.0 | 23.5 | 7 Industrial truck, tractor | | | | | | | | | equipment operators........| 100.0 | 18.1 | 14.0 | 17.3 | 13.9 | 10.2 | 6.2 | 20.4 | 6 Guards and police, except | | | | | | | | | public.....................| 100.0 | 17.1 | 13.8 | 24.0 | 10.3 | 10.6 | 3.6 | 20.5 | 5 Packaging machine operators...| 100.0 | 15.7 | 12.2 | 20.1 | 13.8 | 11.1 | 5.8 | 21.4 | 6 Waiters and waitresses........| 100.0 | 9.9 | 7.6 | 23.1 | 18.1 | 14.4 | 10.8 | 15.9 | 8 Stock and inventory clerks....| 100.0 | 18.9 | 11.0 | 19.4 | 15.1 | 12.3 | 7.8 | 15.6 | 6 Supervisors, production.......| 100.0 | 17.8 | 15.1 | 18.7 | 13.4 | 11.3 | 6.1 | 17.6 | 5 Industrial machinery repairers| 100.0 | 16.7 | 11.5 | 18.0 | 11.8 | 13.9 | 6.1 | 22.1 | 7 Licensed practical nurses.....| 100.0 | 19.6 | 16.0 | 22.3 | 13.0 | 14.2 | 3.2 | 11.8 | 5 Bus, truck, stationary engine | | | | | | | | | mechanics..................| 100.0 | 16.7 | 14.2 | 20.6 | 10.4 | 9.9 | 7.7 | 20.4 | 5 Kitchen workers, food | | | | | | | | | preparation................| 100.0 | 18.2 | 13.3 | 22.2 | 14.5 | 10.6 | 3.1 | 18.1 | 5 ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ 1 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or without restricted work activity. NOTE: Because of rounding, percentages may not add to 100. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor Table 9. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (1) by selected injury or illness characteristics and number of days away from work, 1996 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | Percent of cases involving | | Total |______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Median Characteristic | cases | | | | | | | | days away | | 1 day | 2 days | 3 to 5 | 6 to 10 | 11 to 20 | 21 to 30 | 31 days | from work | | | | days | days | days | days | or more | ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ | | | | | | | | | Total [1,880,500 cases].| 100.0 | 16.7 | 13.1 | 20.6 | 13.2 | 11.7 | 6.2 | 18.5 | 5 | | | | | | | | | Nature of injury, illness: | | | | | | | | | Sprains, strains............| 100.0 | 13.8 | 12.8 | 23.0 | 14.6 | 12.0 | 6.1 | 17.7 | 6 Bruises, contusions.........| 100.0 | 23.1 | 17.6 | 23.5 | 13.8 | 8.8 | 3.7 | 9.5 | 3 Cuts, lacerations...........| 100.0 | 26.0 | 15.9 | 20.4 | 14.1 | 11.8 | 3.7 | 8.1 | 3 Fractures...................| 100.0 | 9.2 | 6.3 | 13.8 | 11.8 | 12.9 | 9.8 | 36.2 | 17 Carpal tunnel syndrome......| 100.0 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 8.3 | 9.7 | 16.4 | 15.3 | 42.3 | 25 Heat burns..................| 100.0 | 22.0 | 14.5 | 27.1 | 12.7 | 11.4 | 4.1 | 8.2 | 4 Tendonitis..................| 100.0 | 10.6 | 11.6 | 17.7 | 14.6 | 12.4 | 7.5 | 25.7 | 9 Chemical burns..............| 100.0 | 37.4 | 17.4 | 22.0 | 9.1 | 7.0 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 2 Amputations.................| 100.0 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 17.1 | 11.6 | 12.9 | 17.1 | 32.2 | 20 Multiple injuries...........| 100.0 | 13.5 | 11.9 | 17.2 | 12.9 | 12.2 | 5.7 | 26.6 | 8 | | | | | | | | | Part of body affected: | | | | | | | | | Head........................| 100.0 | 37.8 | 22.1 | 20.5 | 7.6 | 4.7 | 1.7 | 5.5 | 2 Eyes......................| 100.0 | 47.2 | 24.2 | 18.1 | 5.1 | 2.5 | .8 | 2.1 | 2 Neck........................| 100.0 | 16.6 | 14.8 | 22.8 | 11.9 | 9.0 | 4.8 | 20.0 | 5 Trunk.......................| 100.0 | 12.9 | 11.8 | 22.1 | 14.5 | 12.5 | 6.6 | 19.5 | 6 Shoulder..................| 100.0 | 13.3 | 10.3 | 19.1 | 13.0 | 11.5 | 6.3 | 26.5 | 8 Back......................| 100.0 | 12.9 | 12.4 | 23.9 | 14.8 | 12.0 | 5.9 | 18.1 | 6 Upper extremities...........| 100.0 | 18.0 | 13.1 | 18.6 | 13.5 | 12.1 | 7.1 | 17.4 | 6 Wrist.....................| 100.0 | 11.0 | 9.6 | 14.9 | 12.7 | 14.0 | 9.6 | 28.2 | 12 Hand, except finger.......| 100.0 | 21.1 | 15.8 | 21.7 | 14.2 | 10.0 | 5.7 | 11.5 | 4 Finger....................| 100.0 | 21.9 | 14.2 | 19.9 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 6.5 | 11.7 | 4 Lower extremities...........| 100.0 | 15.8 | 12.9 | 20.3 | 13.0 | 12.3 | 6.0 | 19.8 | 6 Knee......................| 100.0 | 12.2 | 10.9 | 18.8 | 12.0 | 13.9 | 6.9 | 25.3 | 9 Foot, except toe..........| 100.0 | 17.9 | 14.5 | 20.0 | 12.7 | 11.8 | 6.3 | 16.8 | 5 Toe.......................| 100.0 | 23.1 | 14.0 | 23.0 | 16.0 | 10.6 | 4.2 | 9.1 | 4 Body systems................| 100.0 | 28.3 | 14.7 | 17.2 | 13.3 | 9.0 | 2.9 | 14.5 | 3 Multiple parts..............| 100.0 | 13.6 | 10.8 | 20.4 | 11.9 | 11.8 | 7.4 | 24.0 | 7 | | | | | | | | | Source of injury, illness: | | | | | | | | | Chemicals and chemical | | | | | | | | | products.................| 100.0 | 32.7 | 18.1 | 22.1 | 10.3 | 6.8 | 2.5 | 7.4 | 2 Containers..................| 100.0 | 14.7 | 12.7 | 22.2 | 13.8 | 13.4 | 6.1 | 17.1 | 6 Furniture and fixtures......| 100.0 | 18.8 | 14.4 | 22.9 | 13.6 | 9.8 | 5.8 | 14.8 | 5 Machinery...................| 100.0 | 17.4 | 12.6 | 20.0 | 13.7 | 11.9 | 6.7 | 17.7 | 6 Parts and materials.........| 100.0 | 17.8 | 13.7 | 20.3 | 14.0 | 11.1 | 6.3 | 16.9 | 5 Worker motion or position...| 100.0 | 11.3 | 11.2 | 19.6 | 13.5 | 12.6 | 7.8 | 23.9 | 8 Floors, walkways, ground | | | | | | | | | surfaces.................| 100.0 | 13.6 | 11.9 | 18.9 | 12.3 | 12.4 | 6.8 | 24.0 | 7 Tools, instruments, and | | | | | | | | | equipment................| 100.0 | 22.4 | 15.1 | 21.0 | 14.1 | 10.3 | 5.1 | 12.1 | 4 Vehicles....................| 100.0 | 14.4 | 10.5 | 19.7 | 13.3 | 12.6 | 7.6 | 22.0 | 7 Health care patient.........| 100.0 | 15.6 | 15.1 | 24.6 | 15.2 | 11.0 | 5.4 | 13.1 | 5 | | | | | | | | | Event or exposure: | | | | | | | | | Contact with objects and | | | | | | | | | equipment ...............| 100.0 | 23.4 | 15.9 | 20.5 | 12.5 | 10.0 | 5.0 | 12.7 | 4 Struck by object..........| 100.0 | 23.7 | 16.1 | 20.7 | 12.5 | 9.8 | 4.5 | 12.7 | 4 Struck against object.....| 100.0 | 21.5 | 16.7 | 22.6 | 11.8 | 10.6 | 5.5 | 11.3 | 4 Caught in equipment or | | | | | | | | | object.................| 100.0 | 15.5 | 12.0 | 18.7 | 16.2 | 11.8 | 7.3 | 18.5 | 7 Fall to lower level.........| 100.0 | 11.7 | 11.5 | 16.9 | 12.2 | 12.8 | 7.0 | 28.0 | 10 Fall to same level..........| 100.0 | 15.0 | 12.1 | 19.6 | 13.4 | 12.1 | 6.9 | 21.1 | 7 Slips, trips, loss of | | | | | | | | | balance--without fall....| 100.0 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 23.8 | 13.0 | 10.6 | 6.3 | 22.5 | 6 Overexertion................| 100.0 | 13.3 | 12.0 | 22.4 | 14.4 | 12.7 | 6.7 | 18.5 | 6 Overexertion in lifting...| 100.0 | 13.1 | 12.5 | 22.4 | 14.6 | 12.9 | 6.7 | 17.8 | 6 Repetitive motion...........| 100.0 | 7.5 | 7.9 | 12.9 | 11.6 | 14.9 | 11.4 | 33.8 | 17 Exposure to harmful | | | | | | | | | substances...............| 100.0 | 30.2 | 17.7 | 23.0 | 11.1 | 8.1 | 2.9 | 7.1 | 3 Transportation accidents....| 100.0 | 13.7 | 9.3 | 18.1 | 11.6 | 13.1 | 8.8 | 25.4 | 9 Fires and explosions........| 100.0 | 19.9 | 8.6 | 14.3 | 17.3 | 10.7 | 4.7 | 24.4 | 8 Assaults and violent acts by| | | | | | | | | person...................| 100.0 | 17.0 | 17.2 | 24.2 | 9.7 | 13.2 | 4.8 | 13.8 | 5 ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ 1 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or without restricted work activity. NOTE: Because of rounding, percentages may not add to 100. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor Table 10. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (1) by industry division and number of days away from work, 1996 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | Percent of cases involving | | Total |______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________| Median Characteristic | cases | | | | | | | | days away | | 1 day | 2 days | 3 to 5 | 6 to 10 | 11 to 20 | 21 to 30 | 31 days | from work | | | | days | days | days | days | or more | ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ | | | | | | | | | Private industry (2) | | | | | | | | | [1,880,500 cases]..........| 100.0 | 16.7 | 13.1 | 20.6 | 13.2 | 11.7 | 6.2 | 18.5 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Goods-producing: | | | | | | | | | Agriculture, forestry, and| | | | | | | | | fishing (2)............| 100.0 | 16.5 | 12.2 | 22.0 | 16.1 | 11.8 | 6.9 | 14.5 | 5 Mining (3)................| 100.0 | 8.0 | 7.8 | 13.5 | 12.4 | 11.4 | 6.1 | 40.7 | 17 Construction..............| 100.0 | 15.0 | 12.1 | 19.0 | 13.0 | 12.0 | 6.9 | 22.1 | 7 Manufacturing.............| 100.0 | 19.0 | 13.2 | 18.5 | 12.5 | 11.7 | 6.7 | 18.6 | 5 Durable goods...........| 100.0 | 19.8 | 13.1 | 17.9 | 12.3 | 11.5 | 6.9 | 18.5 | 5 Nondurable goods........| 100.0 | 17.7 | 13.3 | 19.5 | 12.7 | 12.0 | 6.2 | 18.6 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Service-producing: | | | | | | | | | Transportation and public | | | | | | | | | utilities (3)(4).......| 100.0 | 11.3 | 10.5 | 20.2 | 14.8 | 14.0 | 6.8 | 22.4 | 8 Wholesale trade...........| 100.0 | 17.8 | 13.6 | 20.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 6.0 | 18.8 | 5 Retail trade..............| 100.0 | 16.4 | 12.9 | 22.0 | 14.1 | 12.2 | 6.8 | 15.7 | 5 Finance, insurance, and | | | | | | | | | real estate............| 100.0 | 18.1 | 13.5 | 21.7 | 11.5 | 10.4 | 5.6 | 19.2 | 5 Services..................| 100.0 | 17.7 | 14.7 | 22.8 | 12.8 | 10.6 | 5.0 | 16.3 | 5 ______________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________|________________________ 1 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or without restricted work activity. 2 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 3 Data conforming to OSHA definitions for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal mining and for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; and by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Independent mining contractors are excluded from the coal, metal, and nonmetal industries. 4 In 1996, air courier operations previously classified in Industry Groups 421, 422, 423, 452, 473, and 478 were reclassified to Industry Group 451. As a result, the 1996 estimates for these SIC's and Major Industry Groups 42, 45, and 47 are not comparable to those for prior years. In addition, the 1996 estimates for transportation and public utilities may have more variability than those for prior years. NOTE: Because of rounding, percentages may not add to 100. SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor Technical information: (202) 606-6170 USDL 98-157 Media information: (202) 606-5902 For release: 10 A.M.EDT Internet address: http://stats.bls.gov/oshhome.htm Thursday, April 23, 1998 LOST-WORKTIME INJURIES AND ILLNESSES: CHARACTERISTICS AND RESULTING TIME AWAY FROM WORK, 1996 A total of 1.9 million injuries and illnesses requiring recuperation away from work beyond the day of the incident were reported in private industry workplaces during 1996 according to a survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor. The following tabulation of the number of injuries and illnesses (in 1,000's) resulting in time away from work shows the decline in such incidents since 1992: 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Private industry 2,331.1 2,252.6 2,236.6 2,040.9 1,880.5 Goods producing 903.3 854.5 864.8 780.0 697.9 Service producing 1,427.9 1,398.1 1,371.7 1,261.0 1,182.5 Table A presents the number of injuries and illnesses requiring recuperation away from work for 1992 through 1996 for the 10 occupations that accounted for nearly one- third of such incidents. Truck drivers experienced the largest number of injuries and illnesses with time away from work in all five years. Although the number of these injuries and illnesses declined for all occupations by about 20 percent from 1992 to 1996, injuries and illnesses for truck drivers increased by nearly 5 percent. Table A. Number of occupational injuries and illnesses (in 1,000's) involving time away from work for selected occupations, 1992 - 1996 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Truck drivers 145.9 154.7 163.8 151.3 152.8 Laborers, nonconstruction 152.1 146.3 147.3 115.5 108.5 Nursing aides, orderlies 111.1 103.9 101.8 100.6 93.6 Janitors and cleaners 59.6 62.1 60.6 52.6 46.9 Assemblers 47.7 46.8 53.0 55.5 44.0 Construction laborers 57.1 54.6 55.7 43.5 43.7 Carpenters 34.3 34.8 37.4 35.0 33.5 Stock handlers and baggers 44.4 39.5 37.2 34.7 31.9 Cashiers 41.7 35.4 35.6 30.2 30.9 Cooks 36.1 42.5 36.3 35.4 30.7 Four out of ten injuries and illnesses resulting in time away from work in 1996 were sprains or strains, most often involving the back. This also held true for each of the preceding four years. Although the number of incidents for all types of injuries and illnesses involving recuperation away from work declined by about 20 percent from 1992 to 1996, the decrease was less for amputations, carpal tunnel syndrome, and fractures. Table B. Number of occupational injuries and illnesses (in 1,000's) involving time away from work for selected natures of injury and illness, 1992 - 1996 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Sprains, strains 1,022.7 959.2 963.5 876.8 819.7 Bruises, contusions 222.7 211.2 212.0 192.1 174.9 Cuts, lacerations 173.6 169.9 164.6 153.2 133.2 Fractures 143.6 136.5 138.5 124.6 120.5 Carpal tunnel syndrome 33.0 41.0 38.3 31.5 29.9 Heat burns 41.0 37.7 37.3 36.1 29.0 Tendonitis 25.4 25.0 25.2 22.1 17.4 Chemical burns 15.7 15.7 16.5 13.9 11.6 Amputations 12.4 11.3 12.2 11.3 10.2 Worker and case characteristics Worker characteristics detail the demographics of the injured or ill worker by providing not only the occupation but also the gender and age of worker, occupational group, length of service with employer at the time of the incident, and race or ethnic origin (tables 1 and 2). Following are highlights of the 1996 findings for these worker traits: *Men accounted for two out of three of the 1.9 million cases, a proportion somewhat higher than their share (55 percent) of private wage and salary workers. *Workers aged 25 to 44 accounted for 57 percent of the cases and 54 percent of the workers; workers aged 45 and over accounted for 24 percent of the cases and 29 percent of the workers. *Operators, fabricators, and laborers led all other occupational groups, accounting for 42 percent of the case total. This group includes three of the five individual jobs with the largest number of lost worktime cases--truck drivers; laborers, nonconstruction; and assemblers (table 3). *Most workers had at least a year of service with their employer when they sustained their injury or illness. Indeed, over a fourth had over five years of service, suggesting that many experienced workers incur lost worktime injuries. Case characteristics help identify the disabling condition resulting from the lost worktime incident and how the incident happened. The survey contains four characteristics to describe each disabling injury or illness (tables 4 through 6). To illustrate, consider an injury to a nursing aide who sprains her back while lifting a patient. The nature, or physical effect, is a sprain or strain; the part of body affected, her back; the event, overexertion while lifting; and the source, the health care patient. Of the four characteristics, only the source changes when coding a similar incident for a truck driver who sprains his back trying to lift a box. Following are highlights of the 1996 findings for these case characteristics: *Sprain and strain was, by far, the leading nature of injury and illness in every major industry division, ranging from slightly more than a third in Agriculture, forestry, and fishing to 53 percent in Transportation and public utilities. *The trunk, including the back, was the body part most affected by disabling work incidents in every major industry division. Most other injuries and illnesses were to upper or lower extremities. *No one source of injury or illness stood out, although each of the following three had nearly 15 percent of the case total: floors and other surfaces, worker motion or position, and containers. *Overexertion while maneuvering objects led all other disabling events or exposures, cited in a fifth to a third of the cases in every major industry division. Injury and illness severity Besides identifying high risk situations, the survey also helps researchers focus on those kinds of injuries and illnesses resulting in the lengthiest absences from work (tables 7 through 10). Median days away from work--the key survey measure of severity--designates the point at which half the cases involved more days and half involved fewer days. The median number of lost workdays for all cases was 5 days in 1996, with about a fourth of the cases resulting in 21 days or more away from work. The survey also found the following patterns: *Among major disabling conditions, median days away from work were highest for carpal tunnel syndrome (25 days), amputations (20 days), and fractures (17 days). *Repetitive motion, such as grasping tools, scanning groceries, and typing, resulted in the longest absences from work among the leading events and exposures--a median of 17 days. *Truck drivers had the highest median days away from work (10 days), followed by construction laborers, sales supervisors and proprietors, and waiters and waitresses (each with 8 days). Technical note The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported annually on the number of days- away-from-work injuries and illnesses in private industry and the rate of such incidents since the early 1970s. The 1996 national survey marks the fifth year that BLS has collected additional detailed information on such cases in the form of worker and case characteristics data, including workdays lost, summarized in this release. The number and frequency (incidence rates) of these cases are based on logs and other records kept by private industry employers throughout the year. These records reflect not only the year’s injury and illness experience but also the employer's understanding of which cases are work related under current recordkeeping guidelines of the U.S. Department of Labor. The number of injuries and illnesses reported in a given year also can be influenced by changes in the level of economic activity, working conditions and work practices, worker experience and training, and the number of hours worked. The survey continues to measure the number of new work-related illness cases which are recognized, diagnosed, and reported each year. In 1996, 94,700 of the 1.9 million cases with days away from work were classified as illnesses. Some conditions, e.g., long-term latent illnesses caused by exposure to carcinogens, often are difficult to relate to the workplace and are not adequately recognized and reported. These long-term latent illnesses are believed to be understated in the survey. In contrast, the overwhelming majority of the reported new illnesses are those which are easier to directly relate to workplace activity (e.g., contact dermatitis or carpal tunnel syndrome). The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses is a Federal/State program (50/50 funded) in which employer reports are collected from about 165,000 private industry establishments and processed by state agencies cooperating with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational injury and illness data for coal, metal, and nonmetal mining and for railroad activities were provided by the Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration and the Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration. The survey excludes all fatalities at work and work-related nonfatal injuries and illnesses to the self employed; workers on farms with fewer than 11 employees; private household workers; and employees in federal, state, and local government agencies. The survey estimates of the characteristics of cases with days away from work are based on a scientifically selected probability sample, rather than a census of the entire population. Two levels of sampling were used. First, establishments were selected to represent themselves and, in many instances, other establishments of like industry and workforce size that were not selected that survey year. Then, sampled establishments projected to have large numbers of days away from work cases were instructed before the survey began on how to sample those cases to minimize the burden of their response. Because the data are based on a sample survey, the injury and illness estimates probably differ from the figures that would be obtained from all units covered by the survey. To determine the precision of each estimate, a standard error is calculated. The standard error defines a range (confidence interval) around the estimate. The approximate 95-percent confidence interval is the estimate plus or minus twice the standard error. The standard error also can be expressed as a percent of the estimate, or the relative standard error. For example, the 95-percent confidence interval for an incidence rate of 6.5 per 100 full-time workers with a relative standard error of 1.0 percent would be 6.5 plus or minus 2 percent (2 times 1.0 percent) or 6.37 to 6.63. One can be 95 percent confident that the "true" incidence rate falls within the confidence interval. The 1996 incidence rate for all occupational injuries and illnesses of 7.4 per 100 full-time workers in private industry has an estimated relative standard error of about 0.7 percent. A relative standard error was calculated for each estimate from the survey and will be published in a BLS bulletin that is scheduled to be available later in 1998. The data are also subject to nonsampling error. The inability to obtain detailed information about all cases in the sample, mistakes in recording or coding the data, and definitional difficulties are general examples of nonsampling error in the survey. Although not measured, nonsampling errors will always occur when statistics are gathered. However, BLS has implemented quality assurance procedures to reduce nonsampling error in the survey, including a rigorous training program for State coders and a continuing effort to encourage survey participants to respond fully and accurately to all survey elements. Establishments are classified in industry categories based on the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Manual, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget. In the trucking and warehousing and transportation by air industries, SIC coding changes that were introduced with the 1996 BLS Covered Employment and Wages program were incorporated into the estimates for the 1996 survey. Because of these changes, estimates for 1996 for the following industries are not comparable to estimates for prior years: trucking and warehousing (SIC 42); trucking and courier services, excluding air (SIC 421); public warehousing and storage (SIC 422); trucking terminal facilities (SIC 423); transportation by air (SIC 45); air transportation, scheduled (SIC 451); air transportation, nonscheduled (SIC 452); transportation services (SIC 47); freight transportation arrangement (SIC 473); and miscellaneous transportation services (SIC 478). In addition, the 1996 estimates for transportation and public utilities may have more variability than those for prior years. The four case characteristics used to describe lost worktime injury and illness are based on definitions and rules of selection stipulated in the 1992 BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System. The occupation of the injured or ill worker is based on the 1990 Occupational Classification System developed by the Bureau of the Census.