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Workplace injuries down, Labor Department reports
By Press Associates 31 October 2006
| WASHINGTON - The rate of workplace injuries and illnesses declined slightly in 2005, the Labor Department reported. But buried in the report were several qualifications to the data. |
The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, reported virtually the same number of injuries and ailments as it did in 2004. But the rate dropped by 0.2 cases per 100 workers because workers toiled more hours.
And while the survey counts injuries and illnesses that forced workers to miss time from the job, or to have their work life changed--such as being barred from heavy lifting--it does not count long-term illnesses that develop after years at work or afterwards, such as asbestosis, black lung disease, mesothelioma and other cancers.
BLS reported 4.6 cases of non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 private sector workers last year, down from 4.8 cases per 100 workers in 2004. “The rate resulted from a total of 4.2 million nonfatal injuries and illnesses in private industry workplaces during 2005, relatively unchanged compared to 2004, and a 2 percent increase in the number of hours worked,” BLS added.
Virtually all of the data showed injuries, not illnesses, with a total of 242,500 reports of new on-the-job illness last year. But BLS said that understates illness.
“The survey measures the number of new work-related illness cases that are recognized, diagnosed, and reported during the year. Some conditions--for example, long-term latent illnesses caused by exposure to carcinogens--often are difficult to relate to the workplace and are not adequately recognized and reported. These long-term latent illnesses are believed to be understated…In contrast, the overwhelming majority of the reported new illnesses are those that are easier to directly relate to workplace activity--for example, contact dermatitis or carpal tunnel syndrome,” BLS said.
In line with previous data, goods-producing industries had a higher rate (6.2 per 100 workers) of workplace injury and illness than did service-producing injuries (4.1 per 100), and services now account for 79 percent of the economy, BLS said.
“Fourteen industries, each having at least 100,000 injuries and illnesses combined, accounted for slightly more than 1.9 million cases (46 percent) of the 4.2 million total. These same fourteen industries also reported having at least 100,000 injuries and illnesses in both of the previous two years. Hospitals (281,500) topped this group of industries in each of the last three years, followed by nursing and residential care facilities,” which had 209,100 illnesses and injuries in 2005, the BLS pointed out.
Construction workers suffered 6.3 cases of illness or injury per 100 workers in 2005, with little change from the year before. Specialty construction workers--roofers, plumbers, electricians, painters and their colleagues--accounted for 64 percent of all construction workers, two-thirds of the injuries and illnesses and had a higher injury and illness rate (6.8 per 100). Even within that, there were higher rates, including among masons (13.4 cases per 100 workers) and building exterior workers (8.5 per 100).
Factory workers were harmed by more than 20 percent of all the injury and illness cases and almost 40 percent of the illnesses, BLS said, even though factory workers are only one of every seven private-sector workers. The overall injury and illness rate for factory workers was 6.3 per 100 workers, but three manufacturing industries were among the 14 private sector industries with at least 100,000 cases of injury and illness last year: Transportation equipment manufacturing with 146,800 cases, fabricated metal product manufacturing with 121,800 cases, and food manufacturing with 114,200 cases.
This article was written by Press Associates, Inc., news service. Used by permission. |
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