Over 34,000 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses were reported among South Carolina’s private industry employers in 2019, resulting in an incidence rate of 2.4 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that South Carolina was among 14 states that had an incidence rate of total recordable cases (TRC) significantly lower than the national rate of 2.8. (South Carolina was 1 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.)

South Carolina’s findings from the 2019 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses include:

• TRC incidence rates in private industry ranged from 0.5 in financial activities to 3.4 in other services, except public administration. (See table 1.)

• Two supersectors, with 37 percent of private industry employment, accounted for 50 percent of the occupational injuries and illnesses: trade, transportation, and utilities and manufacturing. (See table 2.)

• In private industry, the TRC injury and illness incidence rate ranged from 1.2 for establishments employing fewer than 11 workers to 2.9 for establishments employing 50 to 249 workers. (See table 3.)

• South Carolina’s private industry TRC rate of 2.4 in 2019 was similar to the 2018 rate. (See table 4.)

Table A. Number and rate of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in private industry, United States and South Carolina, 2019

Characteristic	United States		South Carolina
	Number (in thousands)	Rate (per 100 workers)	Number (in thousands)	Rate (per 100 workers)
Total cases	2,814.0	2.8	34.1	2.4
Cases with days away from work, job transfer, or restriction	1,558.2	1.5	20.3	1.4
Cases with days away from work	888.2	0.9	11.3	0.8
Cases with job transfer or restriction	670.0	0.7	9.0	0.6
Other recordable cases	1,255.7	1.2	13.9	1.0
Note: Because of rounding, components may not add to totals.

Private industry injury and illness case types

Of the 34,100 private industry injury and illness cases reported in South Carolina, 20,300 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-six percent of the DART cases in South Carolina were incidents that resulted in at least one day away from work, compared to 57 percent nationally. Other recordable cases (those not involving days away from work, job transfer, or restriction) accounted for the remaining 13,900 cases in South Carolina, at a rate of 1.0. In comparison, the national rate for other recordable cases was 1.2.

In South Carolina, the financial activities supersector had a significant decrease in its TRC incidence rate from the previous year. The leisure and hospitality sector had a significant increase in its DART incidence rate from 2018. No other private industry supersector in South Carolina had a significant change in its TRC or DART incidence rate over the year.

In 2019, approximately 32,700 (95.9 percent) of private industry recordable injuries and illnesses were injuries. Workplace illnesses accounted for an additional 1,500 recordable cases.

State and local government injury and illness cases

In the state and local government sector in South Carolina, 10,400 injury and illness cases were reported in 2019, resulting in a rate of 4.0 cases per 100 full-time workers. Nationally, the rate was 4.6. Seventy-seven percent of injuries and illnesses reported in South Carolina’s public sector occurred among local government workers.

State estimates

Private industry and public sector estimates are available for 41 participating states and for the District of Columbia for 2019. The private industry injury and illness rate was statistically higher in 20 states than the national rate of 2.8 cases per 100 full-time workers, lower in 14 states and in the District of Columbia, and not statistically different in 7 states. (See chart 1.) Caution should be taken when comparing rates among different states as some differences can be attributed to different industry composition within each state.

 

Technical Note

The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) is a Federal/State cooperative program that publishes estimates on nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses. Each year, approximately 200,000 employers report for establishments in private industry and the public sector (state and local government). In-scope cases include work-related injuries or illnesses to workers who require medical care beyond first aid. See the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for the entire recordkeeping guidelines. The SOII excludes all work–related fatalities as well as nonfatal work injuries and illnesses to the self–employed, to workers on farms with 10 or fewer employees, to private household workers, to volunteers, and to federal government workers. For more information on the scope and sampling methodology see the SOII Handbook of Methods.

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

Table 1. Incidence rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by industry sector and case type, South Carolina, 2019

Industry(1)(2)(3)	Total recordable cases	Cases with days away from work, job transfer, or restriction			Other recordable cases
		Total	Cases with days away from work(4)	Cases with job transfer or restriction
All industries including state and local government	2.6	1.5	0.8	0.7	1.1
Private industry	2.4	1.4	0.8	0.6	1.0
Goods-producing	2.3	1.4	0.8	0.6	0.9
Natural resources and mining	2.5	1.5	1.0	0.6	0.9
Construction	2.1	1.0	0.8	0.2	-
Manufacturing	2.4	1.6	0.7	0.8	0.9
Service-providing	2.4	1.4	0.8	0.6	1.0
Trade, transportation, and utilities	3.2	2.1	1.1	1.1	1.0
Information	1.4	0.7	0.7	(5)	0.7
Financial activities	0.5	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.2
Professional and business services	1.5	0.8	0.5	0.3	0.7
Education and health services	2.6	1.3	0.7	0.6	1.3
Leisure and hospitality	2.8	1.5	1.0	0.5	1.3
Other services, except public administration	3.4	2.1	1.1	1.0	1.3
State and local government	4.0	2.0	1.1	0.9	2.0
State government	2.9	1.5	0.9	0.6	1.3
Local government	4.5	2.2	1.2	1.0	2.3
Footnotes: (1) Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. (2) Data for mining (Sector 21 in the North American Industry Classification System) 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. (5) Data do not meet publication guidelines.
Note: Because of rounding, components may not add up to totals. Dashes indicate data not available. 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). Data are coded using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). For more information on the version of NAICS used in this year, see our Handbook of Methods concepts page: www.bls.gov/opub/hom/soii/concepts.htm.

Table 2. Numbers of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by selected industries and case types, South Carolina, 2019 (numbers in thousands)

Industry(1)(2)(3)	Total recordable cases	Cases with days away from work, job transfer, or restriction			Other recordable cases
		Total	Cases with days away from work(4)	Cases with job transfer or restriction
All industries including state and local government	44.5	25.5	14.2	11.3	19.0
Private industry	34.1	20.3	11.3	9.0	13.9
Goods-producing	8.8	5.2	2.8	2.4	3.5
Natural resources and mining	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.1
Construction	2.2	1.0	0.8	0.2	-
Manufacturing	6.3	4.0	1.9	2.1	2.3
Service-providing	25.4	15.0	8.5	6.6	10.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities	10.6	7.2	3.6	3.5	3.4
Information	0.3	0.2	0.2	(5)	0.2
Financial activities	0.5	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.2
Professional and business services	3.0	1.6	1.0	0.7	1.3
Education and health services	4.7	2.3	1.3	1.1	2.4
Leisure and hospitality	4.8	2.5	1.7	0.8	2.3
Other services, except public administration	1.5	0.9	0.5	0.4	0.6
State and local government	10.4	5.2	2.8	2.4	5.1
State government	2.4	1.3	0.7	0.5	1.1
Local government	8.0	3.9	2.1	1.9	4.0
Footnotes: (1) Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. (2) Data for mining (Sector 21 in the North American Industry Classification System) 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. (5) Data do not meet publication guidelines.
Note: Because of rounding, components may not add up to totals. Dashes indicate data not available. Data are coded using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). For more information on the version of NAICS used in this year, see our Handbook of Methods concepts page: www.bls.gov/opub/hom/soii/concepts.htm.

Table 3. Incidence rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by industry sector and employment size, South Carolina, 2019

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	2.6	1.2	2.5	3.0	2.9	3.0
Private industry	2.4	1.2	2.4	2.9	2.6	2.1
Goods-producing	2.3	-	2.0	2.9	1.9	2.6
Natural resources and mining	2.5	(4)	1.0	3.9	5.5	-
Construction	2.1	-	1.7	1.9	1.8	-
Manufacturing	2.4	-	2.5	3.2	1.8	2.6
Service-providing	2.4	0.9	2.5	2.9	3.2	1.8
Trade, transportation, and utilities	3.2	2.1	2.6	3.4	4.7	3.4
Information	1.4	(4)	-	2.8	-	-
Financial activities	0.5	(4)	0.9	0.7	0.3	(4)
Professional and business services	1.5	-	3.3	1.8	0.8	0.3
Education and health services	2.6	-	2.1	2.5	3.4	3.8
Leisure and hospitality	2.8	(4)	2.8	3.2	3.9	-
Other services, except public administration	3.4	(4)	-	6.2	9.4	-
State and local government	4.0	-	3.4	3.7	4.4	4.1
State government	2.9	-	4.6	3.2	3.6	2.0
Local government	4.5	-	2.6	3.9	4.9	5.1
Footnotes: (1) Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. (2) Data for mining (Sector 21 in the North American Industry Classification System) 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) Data do not meet publication guidelines.
Note: Because of rounding, components may not add to totals. Dashes indicate data not available. 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). Data are coded using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). For more information on the version of NAICS used in this year, see our Handbook of Methods concepts page: www.bls.gov/opub/hom/soii/concepts.htm.

Table 4. Incidence rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by industry sector and selected case type with measures of statistical significance, South Carolina, 2018–19

Industry(1)(2)(3)	Total recordable cases		Cases with days away from work, job transfer, or restriction (4)
	2018	2019	2018	2019
All industries including state and local government	2.7	2.6	1.6	1.5
Private industry	2.4	2.4	1.5	1.4
Goods-producing	2.5	2.3	1.7	1.4
Natural resources and mining	2.8	2.5	2.3	1.5
Construction	2.0	2.1	1.6	1.0
Manufacturing	2.7	2.4	1.7	1.6
Service-providing	2.4	2.4	1.4	1.4
Trade, transportation, and utilities	3.2	3.2	2.3	2.1
Information	0.7	1.4	0.4	0.7
Financial activities	1.8	0.5*	1.0	0.3
Professional and business services	1.2	1.5	0.8	0.8
Education and health services	2.8	2.6	1.4	1.3
Leisure and hospitality	2.2	2.8	0.9	1.5*
Other services, except public administration	2.3	3.4	1.5	2.1
State and local government	4.0	4.0	2.2	2.0
State government	3.2	2.9	1.6	1.5
Local government	4.3	4.5	2.5	2.2
Footnotes: (1) Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. (2) Data for mining (Sector 21 in the North American Industry Classification System) 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: Dashes indicate data not available. 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 level. Data are coded using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). For more information on the version of NAICS used in this year, see our Handbook of Methods concepts page: www.bls.gov/opub/hom/soii/concepts.htm.