Injury and illness rate up in the utilities industry

The utilities industry was the only industry sector in 2004 to experience a statistically significant increase in the incidence rate of total recordable injury and illness cases, rising from 4.4 cases per 100 full-time workers in 2003 to 5.2 cases in 2004.

[Chart data—TXT]

This rise was the result of a jump of 19 percent in the number of cases reported in the industry sector, while the total number of hours worked rose by only 1 percent.

Approximately 60 percent of the increase in cases in this sector can be attributed to natural gas distribution, where the rate of injuries and illnesses increased from 4.8 to 7.3 cases per 100 full-time employees in 2004. This industry accounted for about 20 percent of total employment in the utilities industry sector, but contributed nearly 27 percent of the reported cases.

Data from the BLS Injuries, Illnesses and Fatalities program provide a wide range of information about workplace injuries and illnesses. Additional information is available from Workplace injuries and illnesses in 2004 (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 05-2195.