December 26, 2000 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Another decrease in days away from work due to workplace injuries and illnesses

The incidence rate for cases of on-the-job injuries and illnesses involving days away from work dropped from 2.0 per 100 full-time workers in 1998 to 1.9 in 1999. This rate has fallen in nine consecutive years.

[Chart data—TXT]

In 1990, the incidence rate of cases with days away from work was 3.4 cases per 100 workers; this rate has declined 44 percent in the past nine years. The 1999 incidence rate is the lowest on record.

Most cases of occupational injuries and illnesses in 1999 did not involve days away from work. Of the 5.7 million total injuries and illnesses reported in 1999, about 2.7 million were lost workday cases, that is, they required recuperation away from work or restricted duties at work, or both. The remaining 3 million were cases without lost workdays.

The BLS Safety and Health Statistics Program produced these data. The figures in this article pertain to injuries and illnesses in private industry workplaces. Find more information on occupational injuries and illnesses in 1999 in "Workplace Injuries and Illnesses in 1999", news release USDL 00-357.