Industry Data from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses: Explanatory Note

Originally Posted: March 31, 2004

The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses measures the number and frequency (incidence rates) of work-related, nonfatal injuries and illnesses that are recorded by employers each year. These estimates are published by detailed industry in an annual news release.

BLS, in cooperation with State agencies, gathers information from employers on the number of nonfatal work-related injuries and illnesses. The survey excludes the self-employed; farms with fewer than 11 employees; private households; Federal government agencies; and, for national estimates, employees in State and local government agencies. The estimates of work-related injuries and illnesses are based on logs kept by private industry employers during the year, and these records conform to recordkeeping rules promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor.

There are two other annual BLS releases on work-related injuries and illnesses. Characteristics of nonfatal cases that result in days away from work are available in a separate release. This detailed information includes demographic characteristics of occupation, sex, age, race or ethnic background, and length of service; and the case characteristics of nature of the injury or illness, the part of body affected, the source of the injury or illness, and the event or exposure leading to the incident. Similar information is available for work-related fatalities from the National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.

Additional information:
For more detailed information on this program, contact the Office of Safety, Health, and Working Conditions, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE, Room 3180, Washington, DC 20212.

Telephone: (202) 691-6170
E-mail: oshstaff@bls.gov
Internet: http://www.bls.gov/iif/home.htm

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