Workplace Injuries are Down

U.S. companies reported 3.7 million work-related injuries and illnesses in 2008, the lowest in five years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s 7.7% lower than in 2007.

And the number of injuries severe enough to require time off work was 1.1 million, also a five-year low and down 7% from 2007, BLS said. However, the median number of days away from work, which indicates the severity of the injury, was 8 days, compared to 7 days in each of the previous 4 years.

Other findings:

• The number of injuries dropped in construction and retail industries.
• Ergonomic problems dropped to 33 cases per 10,000 full-time workers compared to 35 in 2007.
• Workers between the ages of 55 and 64 had 3% more injuries than all age groups and those over 65 had 13% more.
• The most common injuries in 2008 were sprains and strains, 39% of all work-related injuries. In 2 out of 5 of these cases, the back was injured.

The rate of injuries was higher among government workers: 6.3% - that’s 7% for local government workers and 4.7% for state employees - compared to 3.9% in private industry.