Employer-reported workplace injuries and illnesses in North Carolina — 2021

Private industry employers reported 67,700 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in North Carolina in 2021, resulting in an incidence rate of 2.2 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 North Carolina was among 12 states and the District of Columbia that had an incidence rate of total recordable cases (TRC) significantly less than the national rate of 2.7. (See Technical Note at the end of this release for more information about the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses.)

North Carolina’s findings from the 2021 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses include:

TRC incidence rates in private industry ranged from 0.5 in financial activities to 3.2 in education and health services. (See table 1.)
Three supersectors, with 51 percent of private industry employment, accounted for 73 percent of the occupational injuries and illnesses: trade, transportation, and utilities; education and health services; and manufacturing. (See table 2.)
In private industry, the TRC injury and illness incidence rate ranged from 0.8 for establishments employing fewer than 11 workers to 2.7 for establishments employing 50 to 999 workers. (See table 3.)
North Carolina’s private industry TRC rate of 2.2 in 2021 was similar to the 2020 rate of 2.1. (See table 4.)

Table A. Number and rate of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in private industry, United States and North Carolina, 2021
Characteristic	United States		North Carolina
Characteristic	Number (in thousands)	Rate (1)	Number (in thousands)	Rate (1)
Total cases (2)	2,607.9	2.7	67.7	2.2
Cases with days away from work, job transfer, or restriction	1,617.3	1.7	40.5	1.3
Cases with days away from work	1,062.7	1.1	24.6	0.8
Cases with job transfer or restriction	554.6	0.6	15.9	0.5
Other recordable cases	990.7	1.0	27.2	0.9
Footnotes: (1) 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). (2) Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees.
Note: Due to rounding, components may not add to totals.

Private industry injury and illness case types

Of the 67,700 private industry injury and illness cases reported in North Carolina, 40,500 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 1.3 cases per 100 full-time workers. Sixty-one percent of the DART cases in North Carolina were incidents that resulted in at least one day away from work, compared to 66 percent nationally. Other recordable cases (those not involving days away from work, job transfer, or restriction) accounted for the remaining 27,200 cases in North Carolina, at a rate of 0.9. In comparison, the national rate for other recordable cases was 1.0.

In North Carolina, the manufacturing and the trade, transportation, and utilities supersectors had significant increases in the TRC and DART incidence rates from the previous year. The education and health services supersector had a significant decrease in its DART rate from the prior year. No other private industry supersector had a significant change in its TRC or DART rate from the previous year.

In 2021, 59,300 (87.6 percent) of private industry recordable injuries and illnesses were injuries. Workplace illnesses accounted for an additional 8,400 recordable cases.

State and local government injury and illness cases

In the state and local government sector in North Carolina, 16,000 injury and illness cases were reported in 2021, resulting in a rate of 3.3 cases per 100 full-time workers. Nationally, the rate was 4.5. Eighty-four percent of injuries and illnesses reported in North Carolina’s public sector occurred among local government workers.

State estimates

Private industry estimates are available for 41 participating states and for the District of Columbia for 2021. The private industry injury and illness rate was statistically higher in 19 states than the national rate of 2.7 cases per 100 full-time workers, lower in 12 states and in the District of Columbia, and not statistically different in 10 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.

Chart 1. State nonfatal occupational injury and illness measures of incidence rate significance, private industry, 2021

View Chart Data

Chart 1. State nonfatal occupational injury and illness measures of incidence rate significance, private industry, 2021
State	Significance
Alabama	State rate statistically less than national rate
Alaska	State rate statistically greater than national rate
Arizona	State rate not statistically different from national rate
Arkansas	State rate statistically less than national rate
California	State rate statistically greater than national rate
Connecticut	State rate statistically greater than national rate
Delaware	State rate statistically less than national rate
District of Columbia	State rate statistically less than national rate
Hawaii	State rate statistically greater than national rate
Illinois	State rate not statistically different from national rate
Indiana	State rate statistically greater than national rate
Iowa	State rate statistically greater than national rate
Kansas	State rate not statistically different from national rate
Kentucky	State rate statistically greater than national rate
Louisiana	State rate statistically less than national rate
Maine	State rate statistically greater than national rate
Maryland	State rate not statistically different from national rate
Massachusetts	State rate statistically less than national rate
Michigan	State rate statistically greater than national rate
Minnesota	State rate statistically greater than national rate
Missouri	State rate not statistically different from national rate
Montana	State rate statistically greater than national rate
Nebraska	State rate statistically greater than national rate
Nevada	State rate statistically greater than national rate
New Jersey	State rate not statistically different from national rate
New Mexico	State rate not statistically different from national rate
New York	State rate statistically less than national rate
North Carolina	State rate statistically less than national rate
Ohio	State rate statistically less than national rate
Oklahoma	State rate not statistically different from national rate
Oregon	State rate statistically greater than national rate
Pennsylvania	State rate statistically greater than national rate
South Carolina	State rate statistically less than national rate
Tennessee	State rate statistically less than national rate
Texas	State rate statistically less than national rate
Utah	State rate not statistically different from national rate
Vermont	State rate statistically greater than national rate
Virginia	State rate statistically less than national rate
Washington	State rate statistically greater than national rate
West Virginia	State rate statistically greater than national rate
Wisconsin	State rate statistically greater than national rate
Wyoming	State rate not statistically different from national rate
Colorado	Not in Survey
Florida	Not in Survey
Georgia	Not in Survey
Idaho	Not in Survey
Mississippi	Not in Survey
New Hampshire	Not in Survey
North Dakota	Not in Survey
Rhode Island	Not in Survey
South Dakota	Not in Survey
Note: Rates not available for states not participating in Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact in SOII Results

Occupational injuries and illnesses collected in the 2021 SOII include cases of COVID-19 when a worker was infected as a result of performing their work-related duties and met other recordkeeping criteria. COVID-19 is considered a respiratory illness under criteria established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

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; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. Incidence rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by industry sector and case type, North Carolina, 2021
Industry (1)	Total recordable cases (2)	Cases with days away from work, job transfer, or restriction (2)(3)			Other recordable cases (2)
Industry (1)	Total recordable cases (2)	Total	Cases with days away from work (3)	Cases with job transfer or restriction	Other recordable cases (2)
All industries including state and local government	2.4	1.4	0.8	0.6	1.0
Private industry (4)	2.2	1.3	0.8	0.5	0.9
Goods-producing	2.5	1.6	0.9	0.7	0.9
Natural resources and mining (4)(5)	2.6	1.8	1.0	0.7	0.8
Construction	1.8	1.1	0.8	0.3	0.7
Manufacturing	2.8	1.8	0.9	0.9	1.0
Service-providing	2.2	1.3	0.8	0.5	0.9
Trade, transportation, and utilities (6)	3.1	2.1	1.2	1.0	0.9
Information	-	-	-	-	-
Financial activities	0.5	0.2	-	0.1	0.3
Professional and business services	1.1	0.6	0.4	0.1	0.5
Education and health services	3.2	1.6	1.0	0.6	1.6
Leisure and hospitality	1.9	1.0	0.7	0.2	0.9
Other services, except public administration	1.4	0.9	0.8	0.1	0.4
State and local government	3.3	1.7	1.0	0.8	1.6
State government	1.8	1.1	0.7	0.4	0.8
Local government	3.9	2.0	1.1	0.9	1.9
Footnotes: (1) 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. (2) 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). (3) Days-away-from-work cases include those that result in days away from work with or without job transfer or restriction. (4) Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. (5) 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. (6) Data for employers in rail transportation are provided to BLS by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.
Note: Due to rounding, components may not add to totals. Dash indicates data not available.

Table 2. Numbers of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by selected industries and case types, North Carolina, 2021 (numbers in thousands)
Industry (1)	Total recordable cases	Cases with days away from work, job transfer, or restriction (2)			Other recordable cases
Industry (1)	Total recordable cases	Total	Cases with days away from work (2)	Cases with job transfer or restriction	Other recordable cases
All industries including state and local government	83.8	49.0	29.3	19.7	34.8
Private industry (3)	67.7	40.5	24.6	15.9	27.2
Goods-producing	17.2	10.9	6.1	4.8	6.3
Natural resources and mining (3)(4)	0.6	0.4	0.2	0.2	0.2
Construction	4.2	2.6	1.8	0.8	1.6
Manufacturing	12.4	7.9	4.1	3.8	4.5
Service-providing	50.5	29.6	18.5	11.1	20.9
Trade, transportation, and utilities (5)	21.9	15.2	8.4	6.8	6.7
Information	-	-	-	-	-
Financial activities	1.3	0.6	-	0.1	0.7
Professional and business services	5.2	2.7	2.0	0.7	2.5
Education and health services	15.1	7.4	4.8	2.7	7.7
Leisure and hospitality	5.3	2.8	2.1	0.7	2.5
Other services, except public administration	1.2	0.8	0.7	0.1	0.4
State and local government	16.0	8.5	4.7	3.8	7.6
State government	2.7	1.6	1.0	0.6	1.1
Local government	13.4	6.9	3.7	3.2	6.5
Footnotes: (1) 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. (2) Days-away-from-work cases include those that result in days away from work with or without job transfer or restriction. (3) Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. (4) 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. (5) Data for employers in rail transportation are provided to BLS by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.
Note: Due to rounding, components may not add to totals. Dash indicates data not available.

Table 3. Incidence rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by industry sector and employment size, North Carolina, 2021
Industry (1)	All establishments (2)	Establishment employment size (workers) (2)
Industry (1)	All establishments (2)	1 to 10	11 to 49	50 to 249	250 to 999	1,000 or more
All industries including state and local government	2.4	0.8	2.0	2.7	2.8	2.8
Private industry (3)	2.2	0.8	2.0	2.7	2.7	2.5
Goods-producing	2.5	-	2.4	3.1	2.3	2.0
Natural resources and mining (3)(4)	2.6	-	2.9	2.8	3.7	-
Construction	1.8	-	1.9	2.4	1.8	1.1
Manufacturing	2.8	0.8	3.1	3.5	2.3	2.1
Service-providing	2.2	0.8	1.9	2.5	3.0	2.5
Trade, transportation, and utilities (5)	3.1	1.7	2.1	3.2	4.4	6.3
Information	-	-	-	-	-	-
Financial activities	0.5	-	2.1	0.4	-	0.1
Professional and business services	1.1	0.5	1.8	1.0	1.7	0.2
Education and health services	3.2	-	1.7	4.0	4.0	4.4
Leisure and hospitality	1.9	-	1.9	2.2	4.6	3.4
Other services, except public administration	1.4	-	2.8	2.2	-	-
State and local government	3.3	-	2.7	3.1	3.3	3.6
State government	1.8	-	1.4	1.1	1.2	2.2
Local government	3.9	-	2.9	3.4	3.9	4.8
Footnotes: (1) 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. (2) 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). (3) Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. (4) 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. (5) Data for employers in rail transportation are provided to BLS by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.
Note: Dash indicates data not available.

Table 4. Incidence rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by industry sector and selected case type with measures of statistical significance, North Carolina, 2020–21
Industry (1)	Total recordable cases (2)		Cases with days away from work, job transfer, or restriction (2)(3)
Industry (1)	2020	2021	2020	2021
All industries including state and local government	2.2	2.4*	1.3	1.4*
Private industry (4)	2.1	2.2	1.3	1.3
Goods-producing	2.3	2.5	1.4	1.6*
Natural resources and mining (4)(5)	2.5	2.6	1.7	1.8
Construction	2.0	1.8	1.0	1.1
Manufacturing	2.5	2.8*	1.6	1.8*
Service-providing	2.1	2.2	1.2	1.3
Trade, transportation, and utilities (6)	2.7	3.1*	1.8	2.1*
Information	0.4	-	0.2	-
Financial activities	0.5	0.5	0.3	0.2
Professional and business services	1.1	1.1	0.6	0.6
Education and health services	3.5	3.2	2.0	1.6*
Leisure and hospitality	2.1	1.9	0.8	1.0
Other services, except public administration	1.1	1.4	0.6	0.9
State and local government	3.0	3.3*	1.7	1.7
State government	1.6	1.8	1.0	1.1
Local government	3.5	3.9*	2.0	2.0
Footnotes: (1) 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. (2) 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). (3) Days-away-from-work cases include those that result in days away from work with or without job transfer or restriction. (4) Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. (5) 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. (6) Data for employers in rail transportation are provided to BLS by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.
Note: Dash indicates data not available. An asterisk (*) indicates a significant difference between the current year and prior year values, when testing at 95% confidence level.

Last Modified Date: Thursday, December 08, 2022

Southeast Information Office

Employer-reported workplace injuries and illnesses in North Carolina — 2021