April 16, 1999 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Manufacturing leads industries in nonfatal injuries and illnesses

In 1997, private industries reported approximately 6.1 million nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses. Manufacturing accounted for almost one-third of the cases (1.9 million), and wholesale and retail trade and services each accounted for about one-fourth of the cases.

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Manufacturing’s incidence rate—the number of injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers—also led all industries at 10.3. Although wholesale and retail trade and services accounted for a large number of injuries and illnesses, their incidence rates, at 6.7 and 5.6 respectively, were lower than many industries.

Wide variations exist in the frequency of nonfatal workplace incidents, even for industries producing quite similar goods or services. For example, within manufacturing, the total case rate for injuries and illnesses in the electronic components and accessories industry group (Standard Industrial Classification 367) was 5.0 for 100 full-time workers in 1997. Among the detailed industries within this category, total case rates ranged from 3.1 per hundred in semiconductor and related devices (SIC 3674) to 14.4 per hundred in electron tubes (SIC 3671).

These data are a product of the BLS Safety and Health Statistics program. Additional information is available from "Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 1997", Summary 99-3.