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Nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work in 2014

November 27, 2015

In 2014, there were 1,157,410 nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses that required days away from work to recuperate, unchanged from 2013. The incidence rate was 107.1 cases per 10,000 full-time workers, down from 109.4 in 2013. The median days away from work to recuperate, a key measure of severity of injuries and illnesses, was 9 days, up from 8 days in 2013.

In private industry and state and local government in 2014, there were 6 occupations where the incidence rate per 10,000 full-time workers was greater than 300 and the number of cases with days away from work was greater than 10,000. These occupations were:

  • police and sheriff's patrol officers
  • correctional officers and jailers
  • firefighters
  • nursing assistants
  • construction laborers
  • heavy tractor-trailer drivers

Among these, heavy tractor-trailer drivers had the highest number of injury and illness cases with 55,710.

Incidence rate and median days away from work for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work, private and state and local government, selected occupations, 2014
Occupation Median days away from work Incidence rate per 10,000 full-time workers Number of incidents

All occupations

9 107.1 1,157,410

Police and sheriffs patrol officers

10 485.8 27,660

Firefighters

13 448.4 14,440

Highway maintenance workers

8 433.0 5,110

Correctional officers and jailers

14 423.3 16,050

Nursing assistants

6 372.5 39,020

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

20 365.5 55,710

Emergency medical technicians and paramedics

9 333.0 7,010

Construction laborers

9 309.7 22,190

Light truck or delivery services drivers

20 299.9 22,420

Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers

8 284.7 6,590

Nonfarm animal caretakers

5 274.0 3,090

Maids and housekeeping cleaners

7 271.9 18,390

Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers except line installers

18 269.8 5,110

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers

8 264.8 18,190

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

9 258.1 39,290

Maintenance and repair workers, general

10 250.7 27,460

Carpenters

17 238.0 12,480

Taxi drivers and chauffeurs

11 237.2 3,410

Electrical power-line installers and repairers

17 223.8 2,510

Automotive service technicians and mechanics

7 209.8 11,830

Laundry and dry-cleaning workers

13 200.3 3,060

Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks

22 199.4 2,250

Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

12 199.1 4,700

Painters, construction and maintenance

25 196.7 3,240

Bus drivers, school or special client

13 192.9 6,710

Stock clerks and order fillers

9 189.0 25,250

Food service managers

7 182.6 3,400

Food servers, nonrestaurant

7 181.5 2,990

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

23 177.5 5,670

Cleaners of vehicles and equipment

7 175.9 4,350

In 2014, heavy and tractor-trailer drivers had an incidence rate of 365.5 injury and illness cases per 10,000 full-time workers. Incidence rates increased for the following events that resulted in injuries and illnesses to heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers: falls to lower level, falls on same level, and slips or trips without falls. Combined, these events accounted for 35 percent of the injuries and illnesses to heavy tractor-trailer truck drivers.

Incidence rates for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work for selected occupations, private and state and local government, selected events or exposures, 2014
Occupation Event or exposure leading to injury or illness (Incidence rate per 10,000 full-time workers)
Total Contact with objects Fall to lower level Fall on same level Slips or trips without fall Overexertion and bodily reaction Exposure to harmful substances or environments Transportation incidents Fires and explosions Violence and other injuries by persons or animal All other events

All occupations

107.1 23.8 5.4 18.8 4.4 35.6 4.3 5.8 0.2 6.8 1.5

Police and sheriffs patrol officers

485.8 42.5 17.7 87.5 14.8 104.2 15.1 67.7 0.3 131.1 1.7

Firefighters

448.4 80.8 18.4 45.6 22.0 208.5 37.5 5.7 10 12.6 6

Highway maintenance workers

433.0 78.9 43.3 47.1 21.0 143.3 10.9 53.4 (1) 20 (1)

Correctional officers and jailers

423.3 57.1 8.0 69.1 25.6 82.3 11.6 8.9 (1) 153.2 5.2

Nursing assistants

372.5 31.5 1.8 61.8 11.5 204.6 5.6 1.9 (1) 51.6 2

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

365.5 60.2 41.0 58.6 22.2 114.2 5.5 52.1 0.3 2.9 3.5

Emergency medical technicians and paramedics

333.0 30.1 16.0 24.1 14.3 187.2 4 30.1 2.1 18.9 6

Construction laborers

309.7 122.8 31.2 21.5 16.8 81.8 8.4 14.9 0.7 5.6 1

Light truck or delivery services drivers

299.9 40.9 14.9 40.8 19.0 143.2 2.1 33.0 (1) 3.2 1.2

Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers

284.7 79.2 36.5 26.5 17.1 75.2 22.0 9.6 (1) 10.3 1.6

Nonfarm animal caretakers

274.0 17.1 7.4 28.1 7.6 96.7 7.1 (1) (1) 107.7 1.8

Maids and housekeeping cleaners

271.9 54.3 12.2 66.1 15.1 103.0 10.0 3.9 (1) 3.8 3.1

Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers except line installers

269.8 34.3 35.2 32.2 13.0 96.5 8.9 28.5 (1) 6.1 4.7

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers

264.8 72.8 10.7 36.8 19.5 89.3 5 17.1 0.2 10.7 1.5

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

258.1 50.0 14.3 56.7 13.0 99.7 10.3 6.8 0.3 1.9 4

Maintenance and repair workers, general

250.7 70.6 19.7 34.5 9.2 84.2 11.1 14.8 0.9 3.5 0.9

Carpenters

238.0 90.1 24.9 27.1 8.9 77.4 3.1 1.4 (1) 1.8 1.3

Taxi drivers and chauffeurs

237.2 15.9 3.1 46.8 3.4 74.7 2.8 79.4 (1) 7.2 2.8

Electrical power-line installers and repairers

223.8 59.3 13.7 18.2 8.0 91.3 18.5 10.2 (1) (1) (1)

Automotive service technicians and mechanics

209.8 71.9 4.4 22.3 6.3 76.7 5.6 18.2 0.7 0.9 0.4

Laundry and dry-cleaning workers

200.3 45.4 2.1 57.5 2.5 84.3 6 (1) (1) 1.1 (1)

Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks

199.4 25.2 3.9 41.6 3.9 117.6 3 (1) (1) 2.5 (1)

Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

199.1 69.3 7.8 15.5 8.7 80.9 8.4 3.1 3.7 0.7 0.7

Painters, construction and maintenance

196.7 35.4 83.5 25.1 3.1 37.4 3.8 3 (1) 3.1 (1)

Bus drivers, school or special client

192.9 18.9 10.2 51.8 10.6 40.0 1.8 43.1 (1) 14.6 0.8

Stock clerks and order fillers

189.0 56.1 6.3 19.6 4.2 91.7 2.6 5.1 0.8 1.3 0.9

Food service managers

182.6 31.6 35.8 42.4 6.0 48.7 8 7.3 (1) 2.8 (1)

Food servers, nonrestaurant

181.5 51.9 3.0 44.9 4.3 57.3 15.2 2.3 (1) 1.7 (1)

Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

177.5 44.7 27.8 14.8 22.3 39.1 7.6 11.8 1.1 1.3 (1)

Cleaners of vehicles and equipment

175.9 33.9 11.4 30.7 8.4 62.6 17.7 8 (1) 2.6 (1)
Footnotes:

(1) Data do not meet publication guidelines.

Overexertion and bodily reaction accounted for 55 percent of the injury and illness cases to nursing assistants in 2014. The incidence rate for overexertion and bodily reaction for nursing assistants was 204.6, more than 5 times greater than for all workers for this type of event or exposure (35.6).

These data are from the Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities program. To learn more, see "Nonfatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Requiring Days Away From Work, 2014" (HTML) (PDF).

SUGGESTED CITATION

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work in 2014 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2015/nonfatal-occupational-injuries-and-illnesses-requiring-days-away-from-work-in-2014.htm (visited March 29, 2024).

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