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Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses in Kentucky — 2023
Private industry employers reported 39,200 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in Kentucky in 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that this resulted in a total recordable cases (TRC) incidence rate of 2.8 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers; the national rate was 2.4. The estimates in this release are from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII).
Kentucky’s findings from the 2023 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses for private industry include:
TRC incidence rates ranged from 0.2 in financial activities to 4.1 in natural resources and mining. (See table 1.)
Three supersectors, with 58 percent of employment, accounted for 74 percent of the occupational injuries and illnesses: trade, transportation, and utilities; education and health services; and manufacturing. (See table 2.)
The manufacturing industry TRC rate was 3.2 in 2023 and 3.7 in 2022. Trade, transportation, and utilities TRC rates were 3.5 and 3.2 in 2023 and 2022, respectively. (See table 3.)
The TRC injury and illness incidence rate ranged from 1.3 for establishments employing fewer than 11 workers to 4.8 for establishments employing 1,000 or more workers. (See table 4.)
Injuries accounted for 35,500 (90.6 percent) of total recordable cases; illnesses were an additional 3,700 cases.
Table A. Number and rate of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in private industry, United States and Kentucky, 2023
Cases with days away from work, job transfer, or restriction
1,527.5
1.5
20.8
1.5
Cases with days away from work
946.5
0.9
12.6
0.9
Cases with job transfer or restriction
581.0
0.6
8.2
0.6
Other recordable cases
1,041.5
1.0
18.3
1.3
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 39,200 private industry injury and illness cases reported in Kentucky, 20,800 were of a more severe nature, involving days away from work, job transfer, or restriction while recuperating—commonly referred to as DART cases. These cases occurred at a rate of 1.5 cases per 100 full-time workers, matching the national rate.
Other recordable cases (those not involving days away from work, job transfer, or restriction) accounted for the remaining 18,300 cases in Kentucky, at a rate of 1.3. The national rate for other recordable cases was 1.0.
State and local government injury and illness cases
In the state and local government sector in Kentucky, 6,400 injury and illness cases were reported in 2023, resulting in a rate of 3.3 cases per 100 full-time workers. Nationally, the rate was 4.3. Eighty-one percent of injuries and illnesses reported in Kentucky’s public sector occurred among local government workers.
State estimates
Private industry estimates are available for 42 states, the District of Columbia, and three territories. (See map 1.) Factors such as differences in the composition of industry employment may influence state incidences rates and should be considered whenever comparing rates among different states.
Map 1. Incidence rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by state and selected industries, 2023
Incidence rates and counts by industry and case type published by the SOII are rounded. As a result, some components may not add to totals. See the effects of rounding on estimates for more information.
Data for U.S. territories are not included in the national SOII estimates. Employment data used in this release are from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program.
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 selected industries and case type, Kentucky, 2023
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: https://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, Kentucky, 2023 (numbers in thousands)
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: https://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 selected industries and selected case type, Kentucky, 2022–23
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: https://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.
Table 4. Incidence rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by selected industries and employment size, Kentucky, 2023
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: https://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.
United States Department of Labor
