April 24, 2000 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Lost-worktime injuries and illnesses

A total of slightly more than 1.7 million injuries and illnesses that required recuperation away from work beyond the day of the incident were reported in selected private industry workplaces during 1998. The total number of these cases has declined in each year since 1992.

[Chart data—TXT]

Men accounted for two out of three of the 1.7 million cases, a proportion somewhat higher than their share (59 percent) of the hours worked by all private wage and salary workers.

Workers aged 24 and under accounted for 15 percent of the cases and 14 percent of the total hours worked by all private wage and salary workers. Workers aged 25 to 44 accounted for 56 percent of the cases and 55 percent of the hours worked. Workers aged 45 and older accounted for 27 percent of the cases and 30 percent of the hours worked.

These data are a product of the BLS Safety and Health Statistics program. Additional information is available from news release USDL 00-115, "Lost-worktime Injuries and Illnesses: Characteristics and Resulting Time Away From Work, 1998."