11/08/2018 News Release: Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses--2017

For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Thursday, November 8, 2018		USDL-18-1788	

Technical information:	(202) 691-6170    *IIFSTAFF@bls.gov    *www.bls.gov/iif	
Media contact:		(202) 691-5902    *PressOffice@bls.gov

EMPLOYER-REPORTED WORKPLACE INJURIES AND ILLNESSES - 2017

There were approximately 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported by private 
industry employers in 2017, which occurred at a rate of 2.8 cases per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) 
workers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Private industry employers reported nearly 
45,800 fewer nonfatal injury and illness cases in 2017 compared to a year earlier, according to estimates 
from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII). 

(Chart 1 appears here in the printed release.)

* The 2017 rate of total recordable cases (TRC) fell 0.1 cases per 100 FTE workers to continue a 
pattern of declines that, apart from 2012, occurred annually since 2004. (See chart 1.)
* The rates for different types of cases--days away from work (DAFW), days of job transfer or 
restriction only (DJTR), and other recordable cases (ORC)--were unchanged from a year earlier.
* The rate for DJTR cases has remained at 0.7 cases per 100 FTE workers since 2011.
* Nearly one-third of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses resulted in days away from work.
* Among the 19 private industry sectors, only manufacturing and finance and insurance experienced 
statistically significant changes in their overall rates of nonfatal injuries and illnesses in 2017--each 
declined by 0.1 cases per 100 FTE workers compared to 2016. 
 
Nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses data by industry and case type are available at 
www.bls.gov/web/osh/summ1_00.htm and www.bls.gov/web/osh/summ2_00.htm.

Cases Resulting in Days Away from Work

Data and analysis below highlight case circumstances and worker characteristics for nonfatal injuries 
and illnesses that resulted in days away from work (DAFW) unless otherwise noted. Counts and 
incidence rates for DAFW cases are presented at a different precision level than for other case types. 
Data users are cautioned to account for different levels of precision when analyzing estimates presented 
in this release.

There were 882,730 occupational injuries and illnesses in 2017 that resulted in days away from work in 
private industry, essentially unchanged from 2016. The private industry incidence rate for DAFW cases 
was 89.4 cases per 10,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers in 2017. The median days away from 
work--a key measure of the severity of cases--was 8 in 2017, unchanged from 2016. (See tables 
www.bls.gov/web/osh/cd_r1.htm and www.bls.gov/web/osh/cd_r65.htm.) 

The number of DAFW cases involving overexertion in lifting or lowering rose 3,250 cases to 97,990 in 
2017, while the rate was unchanged at 9.9 cases per 10,000 FTE workers. The number of DAFW cases 
involving workers struck by objects or equipment fell 4,180 cases to 136,510 in 2017 and the rate 
decreased to 13.8 cases per 10,000 FTE workers, down from 14.5 in 2016. (See tables 
www.bls.gov/web/osh/cd_r64.htm and www.bls.gov/web/osh/cd_r75.htm.)

In manufacturing:

* The incidence rate of total recordable cases in manufacturing decreased in 2017; however, the 
DAFW rate was unchanged from 2016 at 93 cases per 10,000 FTE workers. There were 115,550 
DAFW cases in manufacturing, which was essentially unchanged from 2016.
* The median days away from work in manufacturing was 8, one day fewer than in 2016. 
* Four minor level occupation groups accounted for 67 percent of DAFW cases in 2017, including 
other production workers (30,210 cases); metal and plastic workers (19,610 cases); and material 
moving workers (15,260 cases). The fourth group among these--assemblers and fabricators--was 
the only one with a decrease, down 900 DAFW cases in 2017 to 12,140.
* The number of DAFW cases where the event or exposure was overexertion and bodily reaction fell 
1,690 cases to 40,680 in 2017. The rate decreased to 32.7 cases per 10,000 FTE workers from 34.1 
in 2016.
* Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) accounted for 34 percent of the DAFW cases in manufacturing 
and fell 1,930 cases to 38,950 in 2017. The rate was 31.4 cases per 10,000 FTE workers, down from 
32.9 in 2016. The median days away from work was 12, two days fewer than in 2016.
* Sprains, strains, and tears was the leading type of injury in manufacturing at 34,110, unchanged from 
2016. The rate of 27.5 cases per 10,000 FTE workers was also unchanged from 2016. The median 
days away for injuries from sprains, strains, and tears was 10, one day fewer than in 2016.

See tables www.bls.gov/web/osh/cd_r1.htm, www.bls.gov/web/osh/cd_r5.htm, 
www.bls.gov/web/osh/cd_r8.htm, and www.bls.gov/web/osh/cd_r44.htm. 

Selected other private industry subsectors:

Four industry subsectors reported at least 15,000 DAFW cases in 2017 and had changes in the number 
of cases compared with 2016. The number of DAFW cases in warehousing and storage increased from 
2016 while the incidence rate was essentially unchanged. Three other industry subsectors--hospitals, 
administrative and support services, and social assistance--had decreases in both their case counts and 
incidence rates for DAFW cases. 

See tables www.bls.gov/web/osh/cd_r1.htm, www.bls.gov/web/osh/cd_r5.htm, and 
www.bls.gov/web/osh/cd_r8.htm.

In warehousing and storage:

* The number of DAFW cases rose 2,930 cases to 17,390 in 2017. The incidence rate (182.4 cases per 
10,000 FTE workers) in 2017 was essentially unchanged from 2016.
* The number of DAFW cases resulting from overexertion and bodily reaction rose 1,350 cases to 
8,310 in 2017; contact with objects and equipment rose 620 cases to 4,370; and falls, slips, or trips 
rose 480 cases to 3,030.
* Transportation and material moving workers incurred 12,750 DAFW cases in 2017, an increase of 
3,120 cases from 2016.

In hospitals:

* The 51,380 DAFW cases in 2017 resulted in an incidence rate of 129.8 cases per 10,000 FTE 
workers, down from 134.3 in 2016.
* The incidence rate for DAFW cases resulting from overexertion and bodily reaction decreased to 
56.7 cases per 10,000 FTE workers in 2017, from 62.1 in 2016.
* The incidence rate for DAFW cases resulting from falls on the same level increased to 25.2 cases per 
10,000 FTE workers in 2017, from 23.6 in 2016.
* Healthcare practitioners suffered 23,570 DAFW cases in 2017, down 600 cases from 2016.

In administrative and support services:

* The number of DAFW cases fell 5,680 cases to 37,380 in 2017. The incidence rate fell to 78 cases 
per 10,000 FTE workers, from 91.2 in 2016.
* Falls, slips, or trips was the leading type of event or exposure resulting in DAFW cases in 2017 and 
decreased 2,430 cases to 11,140.

In social assistance:

* The number of DAFW cases in 2017 fell 4,750 cases to 19,360. The incidence rate fell to 88.4 cases 
per 10,000 FTE workers, from 113.8 in 2016.
* Falls, slips, or trips was among the leading types of event or exposure leading to DAFW cases in 
2017 with 6,250 cases, a decline of 1,410 cases from 2016.

Additional Information

This news release is the first in a series of two releases from BLS covering occupational safety and 
health statistics for the 2017 calendar year. The SOII presents estimates of counts and incidence rates of 
employer-reported nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses by industry and type of case, as well as 
more detailed estimates of case circumstances and worker characteristics for cases that resulted in days 
away from work.

A second release in December will provide results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries 
(CFOI) of all fatal work injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year. The CFOI uses diverse 
state, federal, and independent data sources to identify, verify, and describe fatal work injuries to ensure 
that counts are as complete and accurate as possible.

BLS has generated estimates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses for many industries as 
defined in the 2012 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) manual. Tables including 
cross-tabulations for various case circumstances and worker characteristics are also available. (See 
www.bls.gov/web/osh.supp.toc.htm.) A complete listing of SOII estimates is not available in this 
release. See www.bls.gov/iif/oshsum1.htm for additional information on nonfatal injury and illness 
industry estimates or see www.bls.gov/iif/oshcase1.htm for additional background information regarding 
case circumstances and worker characteristics among SOII estimates.

Additional data from the SOII are available on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/iif/ or from BLS staff at 
(202) 691-6170 or by email at IIFSTAFF@bls.gov. 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.

All statements of comparison made in this news release were found to be statistically significant at the 
95 percent confidence level. See www.bls.gov/iif/undercount.htm for additional information regarding 
completeness of SOII estimates. Additional background and methodological information regarding the 
BLS occupational safety and health statistics program can be found in Chapter 9 of the BLS Handbook 
of Methods at www.bls.gov/opub/hom/soii/pdf/soii.pdf.