US DOL: Workplace Injuries Continue Their Downward Trend

The US Department of Labor reported today that were approximately 2.9 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported by private industry employers in 2016, which occurred at a rate of 2.9 cases per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See www.bls.gov/web/osh/summ1_00.xlsx and www.bls.gov/web/osh/summ2_00.xlsx.) Private industry employers reported nearly 48,500 fewer nonfatal injury and illness cases in 2016 compared to a year earlier, according to estimates from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII).


There has been great controversy in the past whether this data has been accurately reported, in that employers may NOT submit the data, and employees may be fearful of reporting accidents and injuries in the workplace because of the fear of employer retaliation.  Recently the Trump Administration has taken steps to stall and eliminate the effectiveness of The Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (OSHA). See the Confined Space blog.

Source: USDOL 11.09.2017

This news release is the first in a series of two releases from BLS covering occupational safety and health statistics for the 2016 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 data 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.

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Jon L. Gelman of Wayne NJ is the author of NJ Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thomson-Reuters) and co-author of the national treatise, Modern Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thomson-Reuters). 

For over 4 decades the Law Offices of Jon L Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com  has been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.