December 26, 2001 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Injuries and illnesses in goods-producing and service-producing industries in 2000

The incidence rate for injuries and illnesses in goods-producing industries fell once again this past year, from 8.9 per 100 full-time equivalent workers in 1999 to 8.6 in 2000. 

[Chart data—TXT]

The incidence rate in service-producing industries also continued a downward trend, from 5.3 per 100 full-time workers in 1999 to 5.1 in 2000. The incidence rate in goods-producing industries has declined 23 percent since 1995, while the rate in the services-producing industries has dropped 24 percent.

Among goods-producing industries, manufacturing had the highest incidence rate in 2000—9.0 cases per 100 full-time workers. Within the service-producing sector, the highest incidence rate was reported for transportation and public utilities—6.9 cases per 100 full-time workers—followed by wholesale and retail trade at 5.9 cases per 100 workers.

The BLS Injuries, Illnesses and Fatalities Program produced these data. Find more information on occupational injuries and illnesses in 2000 in "Workplace Injuries and Illnesses in 2000," news release USDL 01-472.