Over 71,000 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses were reported among North Carolina private industry employers in 2013, resulting in an incidence rate of 2.7 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that North Carolina was among 12 states and the District of Columbia which had an incidence rate of total recordable cases (TRC) significantly lower than the national rate of 3.3. (North Carolina 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.)

North Carolina’s findings from the 2013 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses include:

• TRC incidence rates in private industry ranged from 0.9 in information to 3.8 in education and health services. (See table 1.)
• Two supersectors accounted for 49 percent 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 1.0 for small establishments (those employing fewer than 11 workers) to 3.7 for mid-size establishments (those employing between 50 and 249 workers). (See table 3.)
• North Carolina’s private industry TRC rate of 2.7 in 2013 was similar to the rate in 2012. (See table 4.)

Private industry injury and illness case types

Of the 71,500 private industry injury and illness cases reported in North Carolina, 36,700 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 1.4 cases per 100 full-time workers. Fifty-four percent of the DART cases in North Carolina 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 34,800 cases in North Carolina, at a rate of 1.3. In comparison, the national rate for other recordable cases was 1.6.

In North Carolina, the trade, transportation, and utilities supersector recorded a significant decline in the TRC incidence rate. (See table 4.) No other supersector experienced a significant change in the TRC or DART incidence rate from the previous year.

In 2013, approximately 69,000 (96.5 percent) of private industry recordable injuries and illnesses were injuries. Workplace illnesses accounted for an additional 2,500 recordable cases. Three categories—skin disorders, hearing losss, and respiratory conditions—accounted for 48 percent of the occupational illnesses in North Carolina. Nationally, these three categories amounted to 37 percent of the work-related illness total.

State and local government injury and illness cases

Among state and local government workers in North Carolina, approximately 19,800 injury and illness cases were reported in 2013, resulting in a rate of 4.0 cases per 100 full-time workers. Nationally, the rate was 5.2 percent. Over 81 percent of injuries and illnesses reported in North Carolina’s 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.) Twelve states, including North Carolina, and the District of Columbia had TRC rates statistically below the national rate. The TRC rates in the remaining nine states 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 including Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, and West Virginia. North Carolina 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 https://www.bls.gov/regions/southeast/subjects.htm#tab-4.

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.

Table 3. Incidence rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by industry sector and employment size, North Carolina, 2013

Industry (1) (2) (3)	All establishments	Establishment employment size (workers)
		1 to 10	11 to 49	50 to 249	250 to 999	1,000 or more
All industries including state and local government	2.9	1.0	2.5	3.7	2.9	3.5
Private industry	2.7	1.0	2.4	3.7	2.5	3.1
Goods-producing	3.1	0.8	3.9	3.9	2.5	3.0
Natural resources and mining	2.4	-	2.0	3.1	4.3	(4)
Construction	2.6	(4)	3.1	3.8	2.7	(4)
Manufacturing	3.3	0.5	5.3	3.9	2.5	3.1
Service-providing	2.6	1.0	2.2	3.7	2.5	3.1
Trade, transportation, and utilities	3.1	1.3	2.7	3.9	3.7	5.3
Information	0.9	-	(4)	1.6	0.8	(4)
Financial activities	1.1	1.8	0.7	1.8	0.5	0.5
Professional and business services	1.2	1.2	1.9	1.2	0.8	0.3
Education and health services	3.8	0.3	2.5	5.0	4.1	4.9
Leisure and hospitality	3.1	(4)	2.0	5.7	4.1	4.1
Other services, except public administration	1.8	(4)	2.5	3.0	(4)	(4)
State and local government	4.0	(4)	3.9	3.6	4.5	4.0
State government	2.6	(4)	(4)	2.4	2.5	2.4
Local government	4.5	(4)	3.3	3.8	5.3	5.5
Footnotes: (1) Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. (2) Data for mining (Sector 21 in the North American Industry Classification System, 2007 edition) include establishments not governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as those in oil and gas extraction and related support activities. Data for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal mining are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. Independent mining contractors are excluded from the coal, metal, and nonmetal mining industries. These data do not reflect the changes the Occupational Safety and Health Administration made to its recordkeeping requirements effective January 1, 2002; therefore estimates for these industries are not comparable to estimates in other industries. (3) Data for employers in rail transportation are provided to BLS by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. (4) No data available for selected year.
Note: Dashes indicate data do not meet publication guidelines. Incidence rates represent the number of injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers and were calculated as: (N/EH) x 200,000 where: N = number of injuries and illnesses; EH = total hours worked by all employees during the calendar year; and 200,000 = base for 100 equivalent full-time workers (working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year).

Table 4. Incidence rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by industry sector and selected case type with measures of statistical significance, North Carolina, 2012-2013

Industry (1) (2) (3)	Total recordable cases		Cases with days away from work, job transfer, or restriction(4)
	2012	2013	2012	2013
All industries including state and local government	3.1	2.9*	1.6	1.4*
Private industry	2.9	2.7	1.5	1.4
Goods-producing	3.3	3.1	1.9	1.7*
Natural resources and mining	3.0	2.4	2.0	1.7
Construction	2.8	2.6	1.6	1.5
Manufacturing	3.4	3.3	1.9	1.8
Service-providing	2.8	2.6	1.4	1.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities	3.5	3.1*	2.1	2.0
Information	1.6	0.9	0.6	0.5
Financial activities	0.9	1.1	0.5	0.5
Professional and business services	1.4	1.2	0.6	0.6
Education and health services	3.9	3.8	1.7	1.6
Leisure and hospitality	3.0	3.1	1.2	1.0
Other services, except public administration	2.5	1.8	1.4	0.6
State and local government	4.0	4.0	1.9	1.8
State government	2.6	2.6	1.5	1.4
Local government	4.6	4.5	2.2	1.9*
Footnotes: (1) Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. (2) Data for mining (Sector 21 in the North American Industry Classification System, 2007 edition) include establishments not governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as those in oil and gas extraction and related support activities. Data for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal mining are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. Independent mining contractors are excluded from the coal, metal, and nonmetal mining industries. These data do not reflect the changes the Occupational Safety and Health Administration made to its recordkeeping requirements effective January 1, 2002; therefore estimates for these industries are not comparable to estimates in other industries. (3) Data for employers in rail transportation are provided to BLS by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. (4) Days-away-from-work cases include those that result in days away from work with or without job transfer or restriction.
Note: Incidence rates represent the number of injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers and were calculated as: (N/EH) x 200,000 where: N = number of injuries and illnesses; EH = total hours worked by all employees during the calendar year; and 200,000 = base for 100 equivalent full-time workers (working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year). * An asterisk indicates a significant difference between the current year and prior year values, when testing at 95% confidence.