Over 46,000 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses were reported among Kentucky’s private industry employers in 2014, resulting in an incidence rate of 3.7 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See table A.) Regional Commissioner Janet S. Rankin noted that Kentucky was among 19 states which had an incidence rate of total recordable cases (TRC) significantly higher than the national rate of 3.2. (Statewide estimates are available for 41 states and the District of Columbia. See Technical Note at the end of this release for more information about the survey.)

Kentucky’s findings from the 2014 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses include:

• TRC incidence rates in private industry ranged from 1.1 in financial activities to 5.1 in both natural resources and mining and manufacturing. (See table 1.)
• Two supersectors accounted for 52 percent of the occupational injuries and illnesses: manufacturing and trade, transportation, and utilities. (See table 2.)
• In private industry, the TRC injury and illness incidence rate ranged from 1.5 for small establishments (those employing fewer than 11 workers) to 5.0 for large establishments (those employing 1,000 or more workers). (See table 3.)
• Kentucky’s private industry TRC rate of 3.7 was similar to the rate in 2014. (See table 4.)

Private industry injury and illness case types

Of the 46,200 private industry injury and illness cases reported in Kentucky, 23,700 were of a more severe nature, involving days away from work, job transfer, or restriction—commonly referred to as DART cases. These cases occurred at a rate of 1.9 cases per 100 full-time workers. Fifty-four percent of the DART cases in Kentucky were incidents that resulted in at least one day away from work, compared with 58 percent nationally. Other recordable cases (those not involving days away from work, job transfer, or restriction) accounted for the remaining 22,500 cases in Kentucky, at a rate of 1.8. In comparison, the national rate for other recordable cases was 1.5.

In Kentucky, no supersector experienced a significant change in the TRC incidence rate, while information was the only supersector to have a measurable change in its DART rate over the year. (See table 4.)

In 2014, approximately 43,800 (94.8 percent) of private industry recordable injuries and illnesses were injuries. Workplace illnesses accounted for an additional 2,400 recordable cases. Three categories—skin disorders, hearing loss, and respiratory conditions—accounted for 33 percent of the occupational illnesses in Kentucky. Nationally, these three categories amounted to 36 percent of the work-related illness total.

State and local government injury and illness cases

Among state and local government workers in Kentucky, 8,900 injury and illness cases were reported in 2014, resulting in a rate of 4.4 cases per 100 full-time workers. Nationally, the rate was 5.0. About 73 percent of injuries and illnesses reported in Kentucky’s public sector occurred among local government workers.

State estimates and over-the-year change

For 2014, occupational injury and illness estimates are available for 41 states and the District of Columbia. Kentucky was among the 19 states that had private industry TRC incidence rates higher than the national rate of 3.2 cases per 100 full-time workers in 2014. (See chart 1.) Fourteen states and the District of Columbia had TRC rates statistically below the national rate. The TRC rates in eight states were about the same as the national rate. Factors such as differences in the composition of industry employment may influence state incidence rates and should be considered when comparing rates among states.

Compared to 2013, private industry TRC incidence rates declined in 10 states. The private industry TRC incidence rate was relatively unchanged over the year in 31 states, including Kentucky, and the District of Columbia. Estimates for nine states were not available in 2014 for comparison.

Technical Note

The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) is based on employer reports of OSHA-recordable injuries. Survey data are collected and processed by state agencies cooperating with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The survey measures nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses, only, and excludes the self-employed; farms with fewer than 11 employees; private households; and federal government agencies.

Employer reports reflect not only the year’s injury and illness experience, but also employers’ understanding of which cases are work-related under recordkeeping rules revised by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor and made effective on January 1, 2002.

The number of injuries and illnesses reported any year can be influenced by the level of economic activity, working conditions and work practices, worker experience and training, and the number of hours worked.

The incidence rates presented in this release represent the number of injuries and/or illnesses per 100 full-time equivalent workers and were calculated as:

     (N / EH) X 200,000 where,

     N = number of injuries and/or illnesses

     EH = total hours worked by all employees during the calendar year

     200,000 = base for 100 full-time equivalent workers (working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year)

Background and methodological information regarding the BLS occupational safety and health statistics program, including information such as changes in the definition of recordable cases due to revised recordkeeping requirements in 2002 and the inherent underreporting of illnesses, can be found in Chapter 9 of the BLS Handbook of Methods at https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch9.pdf.

Additional occupational injury and illness data are available from our regional web page at https://www.bls.gov/regions/southeast/subjects.htm#tab-4.

Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Federal Relay Service: 800-877-8339.