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1.1 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses resulted in days away from work in 2017

November 23, 2018

There were 1.1 million nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in 2017 in which the injured or ill worker took at least one day away from work to recuperate. That was about the same as in 2016. The incidence rate in 2017 was 98.0 cases per 10,000 full-time equivalent workers. The rate in 2016 was 100.4. The median days away from work to recuperate was 9 days in 2017, the same as in 2016.

Number, incidence rate, and median days away from work for nonfatal work injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by major occupation group, private industry and state and local government, 2017
Occupation Incidence rate per
10,000 full-time workers
Median days away
from work
Number of cases

Management

33.7 6 23,680

Business and financial operations

12.9 9 7,850

Computer and mathematical

5.0 4 1,810

Architecture and engineering

16.0 5 3,470

Life, physical, and social science

27.4 5 2,390

Community and social service

80.0 7 13,130

Legal

12.3 2 1,150

Education, training, and library

53.9 6 34,450

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media

47.0 17 6,810

Healthcare practitioners and technical

91.7 7 61,690

Healthcare support

189.2 6 58,510

Protective service

298.4 13 82,450

Food preparation and serving related

92.4 5 79,450

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance

233.2 8 77,670

Personal care and service

79.3 6 27,760

Sales and related

50.8 8 56,120

Office and administrative support

43.7 8 72,010

Farming, fishing, and forestry

132.3 8 15,270

Construction and extraction

178.0 13 90,770

Installation, maintenance, and repair

194.6 10 95,430

Production

127.5 8 101,140

Transportation and material moving

235.3 13 195,800

Transportation and material moving workers had the highest number of cases with days away from work in 2017 (195,800 cases). The incidence rate for these workers fell to 235.3 cases per 10,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2017, down from 244.0 cases in 2016.

Protective service workers had the highest incidence rate of days away from work cases in 2017 at 298.4 cases per 10,000 full-time equivalent workers. That was about the same rate as in 2016. The incidence rates rose in three occupational groups in 2017: installation, maintenance, and repair workers (194.6 cases); business and financial operation workers (12.9 cases); and architecture and engineering workers (16.0 cases).

Workers in arts, design, entertainment, sports and media occupations took a median of 17 days away from work to recuperate from their injuries and illnesses. These cases accounted for 1 percent (6,810 cases) of all cases that resulted in days away from work. Half of these cases occurred to athletes, coaches, umpires, and related workers. Three occupational groups with more than 75,000 cases took a median of 13 days away from work to recuperate from their injuries and illnesses: transportation and material moving; construction and extraction; and protective service workers.

These data are from the Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities program. The estimates include workers in private industry and state and local government. To learn more, see "Employer-reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses — 2017."

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, 1.1 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses resulted in days away from work in 2017 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2018/1-point-1-million-nonfatal-workplace-injuries-and-illnesses-resulted-in-days-away-from-work-in-2017.htm (visited March 29, 2024).

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