Over 125,000 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses were reported among Illinois private industry employers in 2013, resulting in an incidence rate of 3.2 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Charlene Peiffer noted that Illinois was among nine states which had an incidence rate of total recordable cases (TRC) not significantly different than the national rate of 3.3. (Illinois was one of 41 states and the District of Columbia for which statewide estimates are available. See Technical Note at the end of this release for more information about the survey.)

Illinois’ findings from the 2013 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses include:

• TRC incidence rates in private industry ranged from 1.1 in financial activities to 4.6 in natural resources and mining. (See table 1.)
• Within the private industry, two supersectors accounted for more than half of the occupational injuries and illnesses: trade, transportation, and utilities; and education and health services. (See table 2.)
• In private industry, the TRC injury and illness incidence rate ranged from 1.7 for small establishments (those employing fewer than 11 workers) to 3.9 for large establishments (those employing 1,000 or more workers). (See table 3.)
• Illinois’ private industry TRC rate was unchanged from 2012 to 2013.

Private industry injury and illness case types

Of the 125,100 private industry injury and illness cases reported in Illinois, 66,000 were of a more severe nature, involving days away from work, job transfer, or restriction—commonly referred to as DART cases. These cases occurred at a rate of 1.7 cases per 100 full-time workers. Fifty-nine percent of the DART cases in Illinois were incidents that resulted in at least one day away from work, compared with 58 percent nationally. Other recordable cases (those not involving days away from work, job transfer, or restriction) accounted for the remaining 59,100 cases in Illinois, at a rate of 1.5. In comparison, the national rate for other recordable cases was 1.6.

In Illinois, no supersector experienced a significant change in the TRC incidence rate from the previous year. (See table 4.) Similarly, no supersector had a significant change in the DART incidence rate over the year.

In 2013, approximately 120,200 (96.1 percent) of private industry recordable injuries and illnesses were injuries. Workplace illnesses accounted for an additional 4,900 recordable cases. Four categories— hearing loss, skin disorders, respiratory conditions, and poisoning—accounted for 46.9 percent of the occupational illnesses in Illinois. Nationally, these four categories accounted for 38.5 percent of the work-related illness total.

State and local government injury and illness cases

Among state and local government workers in Illinois, approximately 30,500 injury and illness cases were reported in 2013, resulting in a rate of 5.5 cases per 100 full-time workers. Nationally, the rate was 5.2. Almost 87 percent of injuries and illnesses reported in Illinois’ public sector occurred among local government workers.

State estimates and over-the-year change

For 2013, occupational injury and illness estimates are available for 41 states and the District of Columbia. Twenty states had private industry TRC incidence rates higher than the national rate of 3.3 cases per 100 full-time workers in 2013. (See chart 1.) The District of Columbia and twelve states had TRC rates statistically below the national rate, and nine states’ rates, including Illinois, were not statistically different from the national rate. Factors such as differences in the composition of industry employment may influence state incidence rates and should be considered when comparing rates among states.

Compared to 2012, private industry TRC incidence rates declined in five states: Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio,  and West Virginia. Illinois was among the 36 states and the District of Columbia where the private industry TRC incidence rate was statistically unchanged. Estimates for nine states were not available in 2013 for comparison.

Technical Note

The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) is based on employer reports of OSHA-recordable injuries. Survey data are collected and processed by state agencies cooperating with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The survey measures nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses, only, and excludes the self-employed; farms with fewer than 11 employees; private households; and federal government agencies.

Employer reports reflect not only the year’s injury and illness experience, but also employers’ understanding of which cases are work-related under recordkeeping rules revised by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor and made effective on January 1, 2002.

The number of injuries and illnesses reported any year can be influenced by the level of economic activity, working conditions and work practices, worker experience and training, and the number of hours worked.

The incidence rates presented in this release represent the number of injuries and/or illnesses per 100 full-time equivalent workers and were calculated as:

     (N / EH) X 200,000 where,

     N = number of injuries and/or illnesses

     EH = total hours worked by all employees during the calendar year

     200,000 = base for 100 full-time equivalent workers (working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year)

Background and methodological information regarding the BLS occupational safety and health statistics program, including information such as changes in the definition of recordable cases due to revised recordkeeping requirements in 2002 and the inherent underreporting of illnesses, can be found in Chapter 9 of the BLS Handbook of Methods at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/soii/home.htm.

Additional occupational injury and illness data are available from our regional web page at www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/subjects.htm.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 800-877-8339.