January 10, 2002 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Two-thirds of occupational illnesses are repeated trauma cases

In 2000, 67 percent of newly reported cases of occupational illness in private industry were disorders associated with repeated trauma.

[Chart data—TXT]

Of 362,500 cases of occupational illness, 241,800 were repeated trauma cases. Disorders associated with repeated trauma include carpal tunnel syndrome and noise-induced hearing loss.

The majority of the cases of repeated trauma were in manufacturing, followed by services and wholesale and retail trade. Also, in both manufacturing and in finance, insurance, and real estate, about four-fifths of illness cases were repeated trauma cases.

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.

Related TED articles:

• Incidence of injuries with days away from work edged down in 2000
• Injuries and illnesses in good-producing and service-producing industries in 2000
• Rate of on-the-job injuries and illnesses at record low