Characteristics of Injured and Ill Workers and Their Injuries and Illnesses
BLS began collecting additional information from employers about seriously injured or ill workers (i.e., injuries or illnesses requiring recuperation away from work beyond the day of the incident) in 1992. Employers answer several questions about these cases, including questions about the demographic characteristics of the injured or ill worker (for example, age, sex, and race/ethnicity), the worker’s occupation, length of service with the employer at the time of the incident, the nature of the disabling condition, and the event and source producing the condition.
BLS reported 1.5 million cases involving days away from work in 2001 [BLS 2003c]. Most cases were aged 20–44 (65%) (Figure 1–27), male (66.1%) (Figure 1–29), and white, non-Hispanic (68.2%) [Figure 1–30]. Operators, fabricators, and laborers accounted for nearly 40% of all occupational injuries and illnesses (Figure 1–31). Between 1993 and 2001, truck drivers experienced the most injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (Figure 1–32). Services industries accounted for 24% of the cases in each case category (injury cases and injury plus illness cases) (Figure 1–33). Among the occupations with at least 0.5% of the total cases involving days away from work, bus drivers had a median of 11 days. Truck drivers; plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters; and industrial machinery repairers each had a median of 10 days. For all occupations, the median was 6 days (Figure 1–34). Workers with 1 or more years of service with their employer accounted for 57.9% of all injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (Figure 1–35).
Case characteristics help describe each event leading to an injury or illness involving 1 or more days away from work. These characteristics include (1) the physical characteristics of the disabling injury or illness (nature); (2) the body part affected; (3) what directly produced or inflicted the condition (source); and (4) the way in which the incident occurred (event or exposure).
Sprains and strains were the leading type of nonfatal occupational injury/illness in 2001, accounting for more than 669,889 cases—or nearly 43.6% of all nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses (Figure 1–36). Among injuries and illnesses, median days away from work were highest for carpal tunnel syndrome (25 days), fractures (21 days), and amputations (18 days) (Figure 1–37). The back was the body part most frequently affected in cases involving days away from work (Figure 1–38). Four sources accounted for more than half of all nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses with days away from work: floors, walkways, ground surfaces (17.2%); worker motion or position (16%); containers (13.6%); and parts and materials (10.6%) (Figure 1–40). Bodily reaction and exertion, contact with objects and equipment, and falls were the leading events or exposures, accounting for nearly 90% of cases (Figure 1–41). Repetitive motion injuries (with a median of 18 days away from work) resulted in the longest absences from work among the leading events and exposures (Figure 1–42).
Characteristics of Injured and Ill Workers
Age
How did nonfatally injured and ill workers differ by age in 2001?
 | Figure 1-27 Distribution of hours worked and occupational injury and illness cases with days away from work in private industry by age of worker, 2001. For workers aged 20-44, the percentage of total injuries and illnesses was greater than the percentage of total hours worked. Together, these workers accounted for the majority of injured or ill workers. (Source: BLS [2001]; BLS [2003c].) |
How did the severity of the nonfatal injury or illness vary by age in 2001?
 | Figure 1-28 Median days away from work due to occupational injuries and illnesses in private industry by age of worker, 2001. The median number of days away from work due to nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses increased as the age of the worker increased. The median number of days away from work was 6 for all cases in 2001. (Source: BLS [2003c].) |
Sex
How did nonfatal injuries and illnesses differ by sex of worker in 2001?
 | Figure 1-29 Distribution of hours worked and occupational injury and illness cases with days away from work in private industry by sex, 2001. Nearly two-thirds (66.1%) of the injured or ill workers were male. (Sources: BLS [2001]; BLS [2003c].) |
Race/Ethnicity
How did the distribution of employed U.S. workers in 2000 compare with the distribution of nonfatally injured or ill workers by race/ethnicity in 2001?
 | Figure 1-30 Distribution of employed U.S. workers in 2000 and nonfatal occupational injury and illness cases with days away from work in private industry in 2001 by race/ethnicity. Hispanic workers accounted for 10.2% of employed U.S. workers in 2000 but 17.1% of all nonfatal injury and illness cases in 2001. White, non-Hispanic workers accounted for 74.1% of employed U.S. workers in 2000 but 68.2% of nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work in 2001. (Sources: Census [2003]; BLS [2003c].) |
Occupation
How did the distribution of nonfatal injuries and illnesses differ by occupational group in 2001?
 | Figure 1-31 Distribution of employed workers and injury and illness cases with days away from work in private industry by occupation, 2001. Operators, fabricators, and laborers accounted for nearly 40% of all occupational injuries and illnesses, well above the percentage of employed workers they represent (15.4%). (Sources: BLS [2001]; BLS [2003c].) |
Which occupations had the most nonfatal injuries and illnesses during 1992–2001?
 | Figure 1-32 Number of occupational injuries and illnesses with days away from work in private industry for selected occupations, 1992-2001. In 1992, nonconstruction laborers suffered more injuries than any other occupational group. From 1993 to 2001, truck drivers suffered the most injuries involving time away from work. (Source: BLS [2003c].) |
Industry
How did the distribution of nonfatal injuries compare with the distribution of nonfatal injuries plus illnesses by industry sector in 2001?
 | Figure 1-33 Distribution of nonfatal injury cases with days away from work and nonfatal injury plus illness cases by private industry sector, 2001. For most private industry sectors in 2001, distribution of the 1.47 million nonfatal injury cases was comparable with that of the 1.54 million nonfatal injury plus illness cases. Services accounted for 24% of the cases in each case category. Manufacturing accounted for 19.6% of injury cases and 20.7% of injury plus illness cases. The difference was greatest for durable manufacturing, which accounted for 12.7% of injury cases and 13.5% of injury plus illness cases. (Source: BLS [2003c].) |
Severity of Injuries and Illnesses
Which occupations experienced the most severe work loss in 2001?
 | Figure 1-34 Occupations with the highest median days away from work due to occupational injuries or illnesses in private industry, 2001. Among the occupations with at least 0.5% of the total cases involving days away from work, bus drivers had a median of 11 days. Truck drivers; plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters; and industrial machinery repairers each had a median of 10 days. The median number of days away from work was 6 for all cases in 2001. (Source: BLS [2003c].) |
Length of Service
How did nonfatal injuries and illnesses vary by the worker’s length of service in 2001?
 | Figure 1-35 Distribution of occupational injury and illness cases with days away from work in private industry by length of service, 2001. Most injuries and illnesses (63.6%) occurred within the first 5 years of service with an employer. (Source: BLS [2003c].) |
Characteristics of the Injury or Illness
Nature of Injury or Illness
How were nonfatal injuries and illnesses distributed by nature of injury or illness in 2001?
 | Figure 1-36 Distribution of occupational injury and illness cases with days away from work in private industry by nature of injury or illness, 2001. Sprains and strains accounted for more than 669,889-or nearly 43.6% of all nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses. (Source: BLS [2003c].) |
Which injuries and illnesses accounted for the most severe work loss in 2001?
 | Figure 1-37 Median days away from work due to occupational injuries or illnesses in private industry by nature of injury or illness, 2001. Among major disabling injuries and illnesses, median days away from work were highest for carpal tunnel syndrome (25 days), fractures (21 days), and amputations (18 days). The median number of days away from work was 6 for all cases in 2001. (Source: BLS [2003c].) |
Body Part Affected
How were nonfatal injuries and illnesses distributed by body part affected in 2001?
 | Figure 1-38 Distribution of occupational injury and illness cases with days away from work in private industry by body part affected, 2001. The back was involved in nearly a fourth of all occupational injuries and illnesses. Conditions involving the upper and lower extremities each accounted for more than one-fifth of the cases. (Source: BLS [2003c].) |
How did the body part affected relate to days away from work in 2001?
 | Figure 1-39 Median days away from work due to occupational injuries or illnesses in private industry by body part affected, 2001. Workers with injuries and illnesses to the abdomen and to the wrist had the highest median number of days away from work-17 and 13 days, respectively. The median number of days away from work was 6 for all cases in 2001. (Source: BLS [2003c].) |
Source of Injury or Illness
How were nonfatal injuries and illnesses distributed by source of injury or illness in 2001?
 | Figure 1-40 Distribution of occupational injury and illness cases with days away from work in private industry by source of injury or illness, 2001. Together, four sources accounted for more than half of all nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses with days away from work: floors, walkways, ground surfaces (17.2%); worker motion or position (16%); containers (13.6%); and parts and materials (10.6%). (Source: BLS [2003c].) |
Event or Exposure
How were nonfatal injuries and illnesses distributed by event or exposure in 2001?
 | Figure 1-41 Distribution of occupational injury and illness cases with days away from work in private industry by event or exposure, 2001. Bodily reaction and exertion, contact with objects and equipment, and falls accounted for nearly 90% of nonfatal injuries and illnesses that resulted in days away from work in 2001. (Source: BLS [2003c].) |
How did event or exposure differ by median days away from work in 2001?
 | Figure 1-42 Median days away from work due to occupational injuries or illnesses in private industry by event or exposure, 2001. Repetitive motion injuries (with a median of 18 days away from work) resulted in the longest absences from work among the leading events and exposures in 2001. Falls to a lower level and transportation accidents both resulted in median days away that were well above the overall median of 6 days. (Source: BLS [2003c].) |
