Every year the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases a report summarizing data from the previous year’s reported workplace illnesses and injuries. The latest edition, released in December 2014, revealed that private employers reported slightly more than 3 million nonfatal workplace illnesses and injuries in 2013. This is an incidence rate of 3.3 illnesses or injuries per 100 equivalent full-time workers, a number that illustrates a continuation of the decline in incidents seen over the last 11 years.
General Data
More than 50 percent of the more 3 million cases private employers reported in 2013 were serious enough to require days away from work, job transfer or restriction. These cases—also known as DART cases for days away/restricted or job transfer—occurred at a rate of 1.7 per 100 full-time workers. This was a statistically significant decrease from 2012 when the DART rate was 1.8, and is the first decline since 2009.
There were 1.4 million other recordable nonfatal injury and illness incidents that did not require days away from work, job transfer or restriction. These cases occurred at a rate of 1.6 per 100 full-time workers, unchanged from 2012’s 1.6 rate.
The rate of total reported cases of illness and injury was highest among private businesses employing between 50 and 249 workers. The BLS found the lowest incidence rate among companies employing fewer than 11 workers. The manufacturing, retail trade and utilities industries all experienced a significant decline in incident rate in 2013. However, the incident rate was statistically unchanged among all other private industries.
Injury Data
Almost 2.9 million of the more than 3 million reported nonfatal workplace incidents in 2013 were injuries. More than 75 percent of these injuries occurred in service-providing industries including wholesale trade, retail trade, transportation, warehousing, information, finance, insurance, real estate, education, leisure and hospitality. These industries employ more than 82 percent of the private industry workforce.
Goods-producing industries—such as natural resources/mining, construction and manufacturing—accounted for nearly 25 percent of the reported injuries. These industries employ almost 18 percent of the private industry workforce.
Illness Data
Around 153,000 of the more than 3 million reported nonfatal workplace incidents in 2013 were illnesses. The rate of workplace illness was 16.6 cases per 10,000 full-time workers in 2013, a number that was not statistically different from 2012’s 17.3 illness incident rate. Goods-producing industries accounted for 34.4 percent of the reported workplace illness incidents. Service-providing industries accounted for 65.6 percent.
While no one can prevent every potential workplace illness or injury, a comprehensive workplace safety program can help you decrease your own company’s incident rate. Whether you would like assistance establishing such a program or need some insight into improving the one you have, we are here to help. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with your workplace safety needs.
