Disorders Due to Physical Agents
Occupational disorders due to physical agents include heatstroke, sunstroke, heat exhaustion, and other effects of environmental heat; freezing and frostbite; effects of ionizing radiation (isotopes, X-rays, and radium); and effects of nonionizing radiation (welding flash, ultraviolet rays, microwaves, and sunburn). During 1972–2001, the number of BLS-estimated disorders due to physical agents ranged from a high of approximately 30,100 cases in 1972 to a low of 8,300 cases in 1982; 14,600 cases were reported in 2001 (Figure 2–147). Rates varied during 1984–2001 from 1.3 to 2.9 per 10,000 full-time workers; in 2001, the rate was 1.6 (Figure 2–148). Within reporting States in 2001, the number of disorders due to physical agents ranged from fewer than 50 cases to 1,300 (Figure 2–149). Rates varied by State in 2001, from a reported low of 0.2 per 10,000 full-time workers in Delaware to a high of 4.1 in Nebraska. The U.S. rate was 1.6 per 10,000 full-time workers. (Figure 2–150).
Magnitude and Trend
How did the number of occupational disorders due to physical agents change during 1972–2001?
 | Figure 2-147 Number of occupational disorders due to physical agents in private industry, 1972-2001. The number of BLS-estimated disorders due to physical agents ranged from a high of approximately 30,100 cases in 1972 to a low of 8,300 cases in 1982. In 2001, BLS reported 14,600 cases. The pattern of increases and decreases after 1984 seems to parallel disorders associated with repeated trauma, though at substantially lower orders of magnitude. (Source: BLS [2002].) |
How did the rates of occupational disorders due to physical agents change during 1984–2001?
 | Figure 2-148 Incidence rates for occupational disorders due to physical agents in private industry, 1984-2001. BLS reported rates of disorders due to physical agents ranging from 1.3 to 2.9 per 10,000 full-time workers during 1984-2001. The rate was 1.6 per 10,000 full-time workers in 2001. Disorders due to physical agents accounted for approximately 4% of all reported illness cases. The pattern of rate increases and decreases after 1984 seems to parallel disorders associated with repeated trauma. (Source: BLS [2002].) |
Numbers and Rates among States
How did the number of occupational disorders due to physical agents differ by State in 2001?
 | Figure 2-149 Number of occupational disorders due to physical agents in private industry by State, 2001. In 2001, the number of disorders due to physical agents within reporting States ranged from fewer than 50 cases to 1,300. States with the highest numbers included California (1,300), Michigan (1,200), Indiana (800), Illinois (700), and Wisconsin (700). (Source: BLS [2002].) |
How did the rates of occupational disorders due to physical agents differ by State in 2001?
 | Figure 2-150 Incidence rates for occupational disorders due to physical agents in private industry by State, 2001. Rates of occupational disorders due to physical agents vary among the States from a reported low of 0.2 per 10,000 full-time workers in Delaware to a high of 4.1 in Nebraska. The U.S. rate was 1.6 per 10,000 full-time workers. (Source: BLS [2002].) |
