U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Compensation and Working Conditions Online

Percent of Nonfatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Involving Days Away from Work by Hours on the Job before Event Occurred, 2003
by William J. Wiatrowski
Bureau of Labor Statistics

Originally Posted: April 25, 2005

• In 2002, the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses began capturing expanded data on those injuries and illnesses that resulted in days away from work. New data elements include the time of the event, the day of the week, and the number of hours on the job before the event occurred.



• The chart indicates the percent of cases involving days away from work that occurred within certain 1- and 2-hour intervals. Using these intervals, the largest group of cases occurred after the employee had been on the job for at least 2 hours, but less than 4 hours.



• Although relatively small as a percentage of total cases involving days away from work (0.4 percent), 5,160 injuries and illnesses occurred before employees began their shift.



• Most of the injuries and illnesses occurred within the first 10 hours on the job, reflecting standard hours worked on a given day. Further research is needed to relate these data to the amount of time individuals actually work in a given day.

NOTE: For more information on these data, see the news release Lost-Worktime Injuries and Illnesses: Characteristics and Resulting Days Away From Work, 2003 (USDL 05-521), available on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/osh/case/osnr0022.pdf.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses

William J. Wiatrowski
Economist, Office of Safety, Health, and Working Conditions, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Telephone: (202) 691-6305; E-mail: Wiatrowski.William@bls.gov