Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII)
Since 1971, the BLS has conducted an annual survey of establishments in the private sector to collect statistics on occupational injuries and illnesses. The SOII is a Federal and State program through which employer reports are collected from about 183,000 private industry establishments and processed by State agencies cooperating with BLS [BLS 2003c,d]. Data for the mining industry and railroad activities are provided by the Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration and Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration. Excluded from the survey are the self-employed, farmers with fewer than 11 employees, private households, Federal government agencies, and employees in State and local government agencies. Establishments are classified in industry categories based on the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification Manual [OMB 1987].
Survey estimates of occupational injuries and illnesses are based on a statistically designed probability sample rather than a census of the entire working population. An independent sample is selected for each State and the District of Columbia that represents industries in that jurisdiction. BLS includes all State samples in the national sample. State agencies mail report forms to selected employers in February to cover the previous calendar year’s experience. For those States not participating in the program, reporting forms are mailed by BLS. Each employer completes a single report form, which is used for both national and State estimates of occupational injuries and illnesses. This procedure eliminates duplicate reporting by respondents and, together with the use of identical survey techniques at the national and State levels, insures maximum comparability of estimates. Since 2002, employers have collected, maintained, and disseminated information about work-related injuries and illnesses using the Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (OSHA Form 300) [OSHA 2003a], the Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (OSHA Form 300A) [OSHA 2003b], and the Injury and Illness Incident Report (or an equivalent form containing the information sought) (OSHA Form 301) [OSHA 2003c].
An occupational injury is any injury that results from a work-related event or from a single instantaneous exposure in the work environment. An occupational illness is any abnormal condition or disorder (other than one resulting from an occupational injury) caused by exposure to factors associated with employment. It includes acute and chronic illnesses or diseases that may be caused by inhalation, absorption, ingestion, or direct contact. Lost workday cases involve days away from work, days of restricted activity, or both. The response rate is about 92%.
In addition to publishing injury and illness counts, rates, and characteristics, the Bureau estimates injury and illness severity using information provided by employers about the number of days away from work needed to recuperate from each disabling condition. If, as a result of injury or illness, the employee did not return to work by the end of the survey year, then the employer reports an approximate return date, which, in conjunction with the date of injury or illness, yields an estimate of days away from work for that case. Two basic measures of severity are used with the characteristics of days away from work cases:
- Median days away from work is the measure used to summarize the
varying lengths of absences from work among the cases involving days
away from work. Half the cases involved more days and half involved
fewer days than a specified median.
- Distribution of cases involving various lengths of absences from work, ranging from 1 or 2 days to 31 days or longer.
Summary data on nonfatal counts and rates for all recordable injuries and illnesses are issued by BLS in December of each year. Data are separated into cases with and without lost workdays. The following April, summary data are issued by BLS on the characteristics of workers sustaining days-away-from-work injuries and illnesses and how those incidents occurred.
For further information, contact
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
OCWC/OSH, Suite 3180
2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20212–0001
Nonfatal summary information: 202–691–6179
Nonfatal case and demographic information: 202–691–6170
Fax: 202–691–6196
Nonfatal injuries and illnesses questions: oshstaff@bls.gov
www.bls.gov/iif/
