Nonfatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Requiring Days Away From Work, 2007 [This news release was reissued in March 2009]
OS NR 3/31/2008 CASE AND DEMO NEWS RELEASE: Nonfatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Requiring Days Away From Work, 2007 Technical Information: (202) 691-6170 USDL 08-1716 Media information: (202) 691-5902 For release: 10:00 A.M. EST Internet address: http://www.bls.gov/iif/home.htm Thursday, November 20, 2008 NONFATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES AND ILLNESSES REQUIRING DAYS AWAY FROM WORK, 2007 (This news release was reissued on March 31, 2009 to correct selected data within the mining and railroad industries that were misclassified by BLS. Except for these industries, the corrections resulted in minor changes for the category musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and selected nature, event or exposure, and source categories. Corrections have been made to text in the first bullet under "Key Finding" and in the MSD section; charts A and B; and tables 5, 6, 7, 11, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, and 23.) Both the rate and the number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work decreased from 2006 to 2007, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department Labor. The 2007 rate was 122 per 10,000 full-time workers, a decrease of 4 percent from 2006. There were 1.2 million cases requiring days away from work in private industry out of 4 million total recordable cases as reported by the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. The number of days-away-from-work cases in 2007 decreased by 24,630 cases, or 2 percent, as compared to 2006 levels. Median days away from work—a key measure of the severity of the injury or illness—was 7 days in 2007, the same as the prior three years. Key findings for 2007: - In 2007, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) with days away from work declined by 21,770 cases from 2006. The 2007 injury and illness incidence rate of 35 cases per 10,000 full-time workers for MSDs is 8 percent below the 2006 rate of 39 cases per 10,000 workers. The decrease in the number of MSDs is the largest factor contributing to the overall decline in days-away-from-work cases in 2007. - Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants had 44,930 days-away-from-work cases and a rate of 465 cases per 10,000 workers, which is a 12 percent decrease in the rate compared to 2006. - Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers experienced the highest number of days-away-from-work cases, with 79,000 in 2007, a 7 percent decline from 85,120 in 2006. - Cases with days away from work due to a fall on the same level increased by 10 percent from 2006 levels, driven by large increases in the number of cases in retail trade (up 4,280 cases, 19 percent) and health care and social assistance (up 3,360 cases, 11 percent). Case characteristics Case characteristics provide detailed information on the circumstances of workplace injuries and illnesses that required one or more days away from work. The survey uses four case characteristics—nature, part of body, source, and event or exposure—to describe a workplace incident. A nursing aide sprains her back from overexertion in lifting a health care patient. ------- ---- ----------------------- ------------------- | | | | (nature) (part of body) (event or exposure) (source) * Sprains and strains were the most frequent nature of injuries and illnesses (see table 6); however, the number of cases has decreased 5 percent from 2006, compared to a 2 percent decline for all injuries. * Cases with days away from work due to overexertion decreased by 7 percent to 264,930 cases. This continues the sequence of decreases in this event for the last five years. * The number of cases of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) decreased in 2007 by 1,070 to a total of 11,940 cases. The number of CTS cases in the goods-producing industries decreased to 4,510 cases. Among CTS cases in goods-producing industries, there was a decrease of 610 cases in the construction industry to a total of 280 cases. The number of these cases in manufacturing decreased by 880 cases to a total of 4,170 cases. * The part of the body most often affected by work injuries was the trunk (including the shoulder and back) accounting for 33 percent of all injuries and illnesses. Cases involving the trunk decreased by 4 percent from 2006. * Floors, walkways, and ground surfaces were the source of injury or illness for 20 percent of all days-away-from-work cases and increased by 7 percent from 2006 levels. These surfaces are frequently the source of injury when a person falls. The second most frequent source of injury or illness, accounting for 14 percent of the total workplace injuries and illnesses in 2007, was worker motion or position (typically associated with sprains and strains). Injury and Illness Severity The survey provides data on the length of the absences resulting from injuries and illnesses that require days away from work to recuperate. Median number of days away from work—the key survey measure of severity—designates the point at which half the cases involved more days and half involved fewer days. The median number of days away from work for all cases was 7 days in 2007, unchanged since 2004. Twenty-six percent of all days-away-from-work cases resulted in 31 or more days away from work. Goods-producing industries had a median of 9 days, and service-providing industries had a median of 7 days (see table 12). * Within industries, the mining sector had the highest median days away from work at 27, nearly 4 times the median for all private industry. Transportation and warehousing had a median days away from work of 14, double the national median. * The highest median days away from work were for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers and light and delivery service truck drivers, each with 15 days, followed by carpenters and construction laborers with 10 days. These occupations had 0.1 percent or more of total cases. * Fractures continued to require the highest median days away from work (30 days) in all private industries, followed by carpal tunnel syndrome (28 days). Of all fractures, 48 percent were the result of a fall on the same level or a fall to lower level. Within goods-producing industries, fractures had the highest median days away from work as well (35 days), followed by carpal tunnel syndrome (28 days). Service-providing industries reversed this pattern, with carpal tunnel syndrome having the highest median days away from work (28 days) followed by fractures (27 days). * Injuries involving the shoulder took workers a median of 18 days to recuperate for all private industries. Half of the injuries to the shoulder were the result of overexertion. Workers in the goods-producing industries took a median of 26 days and those in service-providing industries required 15 days. * Injuries from repetitive motion continue to be the event with the highest median days away from work for all private industries (20 days) and service-providing industries (19 days), followed by falls to lower level (15 days for private industry, 12 days for service-providing industries). In goods-producing industries, falls to lower level required the highest median days away from work with 22 days, followed by repetitive motion (20 days). * As age increases, median days away from work increase. Workers age 65 and over experienced the longest absences from work with a median of 16 days, compared to 4 days away from work for workers age 16 to 24. Worker characteristics Worker characteristics include gender, age, race or ethnic origin, and length of service with the employer at the time of incident (see tables 1, 2, and 8). * Workers who were 20 to 24 years of age had the highest incidence rate at 134 cases per 10,000 full-time workers, a 6 percent decline from 2006. Workers 65 years old and older had the lowest rate at 96, a 9 percent decline from 2006. This compares to an overall decline of 4 percent for all cases. * Men accounted for 64 percent of injuries and illnesses and had an incidence rate of 134 per 10,000 workers, 22 percent higher than the rate for women (105 per 10,000 workers). Men typically work in jobs and industries that have higher rates than women. * The number of injuries and illnesses to Hispanic and White workers in construction and extraction occupations declined significantly in 2007 (23 percent and 10 percent respectively). The number of injuries and illnesses to Black workers in this occupation group increased by 7 percent to a total of 6,490 cases in 2007. Occupation Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers experienced the highest number of days-away-from-work injuries and illnesses, with 79,000 in 2007. This was a seven percent decline from 85,120 in 2006. Following this occupation were heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers (57,050), nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants (44,930), construction laborers (34,180), and light or delivery service truck drivers (32,930). Of these five occupations, only the light or delivery service truck drivers had an increase in cases (23 percent) from 2006. * Ten occupations had more than 20,000 injuries and illnesses in 2007 (see table 4). These ten occupations (including the five mentioned above) made up 33 percent of all injuries and illnesses with days away from work in 2007, and have had more than 20,000 injuries and illnesses every year since 2003. * Six occupations had rates of 350 or more per 10,000 full-time workers (see table 23). These occupations had 0.1 percent or more of total employment. * Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants had the highest rate of injuries and illnesses with 465 per 10,000 full-time workers. * The remaining five occupations were laborers and freight, stock, and material movers with a rate of 434, nonrestaurant food servers (415), construction laborers (394), light or delivery service truck drivers (370) and roofers (363). * Five occupations had incidence rates over 1,000 per 10,000 workers: athletes and sports competitors (2,049), animal control workers (1,520), hoist and winch operators (1,294), mine shuttle car operators (1,289), and psychiatric aides (1,119). These occupations did not have high numbers of cases or high employment. Industry Workers in the goods-producing industries experienced 349,450 injuries and illnesses with days away from work and had an incidence rate at 153 per 10,000 workers in 2007. Ninety-two percent of these cases were in the manufacturing and construction industry sectors. * Manufacturing, with 187,200 cases, had the highest case count among goods- producing industries, but had the lowest incidence rate of 133 per 10,000 workers. Contact with objects was the event most often associated with these injuries with a rate of 50 per 10,000 full-time workers. * Construction industry workers experienced 135,350 injuries and illnesses in 2007 and had an incidence rate of 190 per 10,000 workers. Within construction, contact with objects and equipment resulted in 35 percent of the injuries and illnesses. In comparison to goods-producing industries, workers in the service-providing industries experienced 809,420 days away from work injuries and illnesses and had a lower incidence rate at 112 per 10,000 workers. Two thirds of these cases were in the trade, transportation, and utilities industry sector and the educational and health services industry sector. * Trade, transportation and utilities industry workers experienced 359,770 injuries and illnesses in 2007, the highest count of all private industry sectors and had an incidence rate of 158 per 10,000 full-time workers. The transportation and warehousing industry had the highest rate (265) of injuries and illnesses. * Educational and health services experienced 181,700 cases with an incidence rate of 134. Ninety-four percent of these cases were in health care and social assistance industries. Musculoskeletal disorders Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), often referred to as ergonomic injuries, are injuries or illnesses affecting the connective tissues of the body such as muscles, nerves, tendons, joints, cartilage, or spinal discs. Injuries or disorders caused by slips, trips, falls, motor vehicle accidents, or similar incidents are not MSDs. (A more detailed definition can be found on the BLS website http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshdef.htm.) MSDs accounted for 29 percent of all workplace injuries requiring time away from work in 2007, compared to 30 percent of total days-away-from-work cases in 2006. * There were 335,390 MSDs in 2007 requiring a median of 9 days away from work, two more days than the median for all days-away-from-work cases. This is a decline of 21,770 cases (6 percent) from last year, and an 11 percent decline from 2005. The rate of MSD injuries has also declined 8 percent from 39 cases per 10,000 workers in 2006 to 35. * Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants had a MSD rate of 252 cases per 10,000 workers, a rate more than seven times the national MSD average for all occupations (see chart A). Laborers and freight handlers had a MSD rate of 149 and light and delivery truck drivers had a MSD rate of 117. * The MSD rate for several of the major industry sectors decreased significantly from last year (see chart B). The MSD incident rate for management of companies and enterprises decreased 32 percent (to 11), construction decreased 16 percent (to 41), and manufacturing decreased 10 percent (to 41). Notes This release is the third in a series of three releases from the BLS covering occupational safety and health statistics in 2007. The first release, in August 2008, covered work-related fatalities from the 2007 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. In October 2008, the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses reported the total recordable cases for occupational injuries and illnesses for 2007. Additional background and methodological information regarding the BLS occupational safety and health program can be found in Chapter 9 of the BLS Handbook of Methods at http://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch9.pdf. With the 2007 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), BLS added selected injury and illness rates by occupation at the 2, 3, and 4 digit detailed occupation level for the Nation and at the occupational group level for the Nation and States. Because of space limitations, this release does not present all the publishable estimates and rates for days-away-from-work cases. Additional detailed data are available from BLS staff on 202-691-6170, iifstaff@bls.gov, and the BLS Internet site at http://www.bls.gov/iif/home.htm. [This chart was reissued in March 2009.] (Chart A appears here in the printed release.) [This chart was reissued in March 2009.] (Chart B appears here in the printed release.)
- Table 1. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by selected worker characteristics and major industry sector, 2007
- Table 2. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by selected worker characteristics and major industry sector, 2007
- Table 3. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by major occupational group and major industry sector, 2007
- Table 4. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by selected worker occupation and major industry sector, 2007
- Table 5. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by selected injury or illness characteristic and major industry sector, 2007 [This table was reissued in March 2009]
- Table 6. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by selected injury or illness characteristics and major industry sector, 2007 [This table was reissued in March 2009]
- Table 7. Incidence rates for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers for selected characteristics and major industry sector, 2007 [This table was reissued in March 2009]
- Table 8. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by selected worker characteristics and number of days away from work, 2007
- Table 9. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by major occupational group and number of days away from work, 2007
- Table 10. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by selected occupation and number of days away from work, 2007
- Table 11. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by selected injury or illness characteristics and number of days away from work, 2007 [This table was reissued in March 2009]
- Table 12. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by major industry sector and number of days away from work, 2007
- Table 13. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by time, hours on the job, day of the week, and major industry sector, 2007
- Table 14. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by time, hours on the job, day of the week, and major industry sector, 2007
- Table 15. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by time, hours on the job, day of the week, and number of days away from work, 2007
- Table 16. Incidence rates for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers by selected worker characteristic, major occupational group, and selected natures of injury or illness, 2007 [This table was reissued in March 2009]
- Table 17. Incidence rates for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers by selected worker characteristic, major occupational group, and selected parts of body, 2007
- Table 18. Incidence rates for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers by selected worker characteristic, major occupational group, and selected sources of injury or illness, 2007 [This table was reissued in March 2009]
- Table 19. Incidence rates for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers by selected worker characteristic major occupational group, and selected events or exposures leading to injury or illness, 2007 [This table was reissued in March 2009]
- Table 20. Incidence rates for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers by selected worker occupation and selected nature of injury or illness, 2007 [This table was reissued in March 2009]
- Table 21. Incidence rates for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers by selected worker occupationand selected parts of body, 2007
- Table 22. Incidence rates for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers by selected worker occupation and selected sources of injury or illness, 2007 [This table was reissued in March 2009]
- Table 23. Incidence rates for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers by selected worker occupation and selected events or exposures leading to injury or illness, 2007 [This table was reissued in March 2009]
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Last Modified Date: March 31, 2009