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1993.07.27 :  NCHS Survey:  Job-Related Injuries

Contact:  Jeffrey Lancashire (301) 436-7551
          Sandra Smith       (301) 436-7135
July 27, 1993

     The U.S. Public Health Service today released a survey showing that one
out of every 15 workers had one or more job-related injuries in the past
year -- 26 percent of them strains or sprains, 21 percent cuts and punctures
and 13 percent bruises or abrasions.
     The survey, conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, shows
that even larger numbers have back or hand problems or dermatitis which are
not always a result of injuries but which limit their work in some cases.
     -- Almost one in five workers reported back pain for at least a week in
the past 12 months.
     -- One in six reported having discomfort in their hands, including carpal
tunnel syndrome.
        -- One in eight workers reported dermatitis in the last year.
     The head of the Public Health Service, HHS Assistant Secretary for Health
Philip R. Lee, M.D., said, "This is the first national Public Health Service
survey to analyze health conditions and injuries from the standpoint of the
workers' age, sex, race, education and income, not just by industry.  The
results can help business, labor and government keep all of America's workers
out of harm's way -- and can further American productivity."
     Men were almost twice as likely as women to experience one or more job-
related injuries.  About one in 10 younger workers aged 18 to 29 years
experienced injuries in the past year, compared to only one in 20 workers aged
45 to 64 years.  Younger workers were twice as likely as older workers to
either change jobs or work activities as a result of their injuries -- 10
percent vs. 5 percent.
     Older workers (45 to 64) with back pain were three times as likely to
have pain daily as were younger workers, 30 percent compared to 11 percent. 
More than half of the workers with back pain attributed it to either an
unintentional work-related injury, repetitive work tasks or both.  Of those
with back pain, one out of nine had changed jobs or work activities or had
stopped working at some time in their work lives as a result of back pain.
     One in six workers reported having hand discomfort in the past 12 months
which was not the result of an injury.  Of these workers with hand discomfort,
59 percent experienced prolonged discomfort severe enough for 11 percent of
them to either change jobs, work activities or stop working as a result.
     Twelve percent of those surveyed reported having dermatitis in the last
year, and 15 percent of those with dermatitis attributed this to chemical or
substance exposure at work.  However, only 2 percent stopped working or
changed jobs or work activities as a result.  Workers with less than a high
school education were twice as likely to attribute dermatitis to chemical or
substance exposures at work than those with at least 16 years of education (20
percent vs. 9 percent).
     The report also contains information on the prevalence of smoking in the
workplace.  The percentage of workers who smoke has decreased by 19 percent in
the past decade.  Two out of five people surveyed said that smoking is
permitted at their workplace, whether or not it causes discomfort among
others.  Fifty-five percent said they work at places where smoking is not
permitted.
     The study was conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics with
support from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.  Both
are part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency of the
Public Health Service, HHS.  Also providing support for the study was the
Bureau of Labor Statistics.