News United States

Department

of Labor

Bureau of Labor Statistics W ashington, D.C. 20212

Technical information: USDL-96-163

(202)606-6170 FOR RELEASE: 10:00 A.M. EDT

Media contact: Wednesday, May 8, 1996

K. Hoyle (202)606-5902

 CHARACTERISTICS OF INJURIES AND ILLNESSES

 RESULTING IN ABSENCES FROM WORK, 1994

 Over the past three years, there were notable reductions in the incidence of injuries and

illnesses resulting in workdays lost due to overexertion, bodily reaction, and being struck

by or striking against an object (table A). Between 1993 and 1994, rates did not decline

for other types of work injuries and increased somewhat for falls on the same level.

These findings are from the national survey of work-related injuries and illnesses in

private industry by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.

Table A. The manner in which workers sustained injuries and illnesses

resulting in days away from work, 1992-94

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Event or Percent Cases per 10,000 workers

 exposure1

 distribution, 1992 1993 1994

 1994 cases

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Total ........................... 100 305 286 277

Bodily reaction and exertion ....... 44 135 128 121

 Overexertion ..................... 27 86 81 76

 Bodily reaction, e.g.,slip, twist. 11 34 32 30

 Repetitive motion ................ 4 12 12 12

Contact with objects and equipment . 27 83 78 75

 Struck by object ................. 13 39 37 36

 Struck against object ............ 7 22 21 20

 Caught in or compressed by equip-

 ment or objects ................. 4 13 12 12

Falls .............................. 18 49 47 49

 Fall on same level ............... 12 31 31 33

 Fall to lower level .............. 5 15 14 14

Exposure to harmful substances

 or environments ................... 5 15 14 14

Transportation incidents ........... 4 9 9 10

Assaults and violent acts .......... 1 4 3 3

 Assaults by person(s) ............ 1 3 3 3

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 1

Total and broad event or exposure categories may include data for

classifications in addition to those shown separately.

NOTE: Because of rounding and because of classifications not shown,

percentages may not add to 100.
- 2 -

 This release looks at the distribution and incidence rate of some 2-1/4 million cases in

1994 that resulted in at least a day away from work (beyond the day of injury or onset of

illness) from four separate viewpoints: The nature of the disabling condition, the part of

the body affected, the source producing the condition, and the way it occurred. Together,

these data show, for example, that back sprains accounted for nearly a fourth of the

survey cases and that such sprains commonly result from overexertion in maneuvering

especially heavy or bulky objects, such as cartons of soft drinks or health care patients.

Besides these characteristics, the survey also identifies the occupation and other

demographics of workers disabled and provides summary measures of the number of

days away from work due to injury or illness. When tied to exposure hours or

employment, such data enable researchers to identify industries, occupations, and worker

groups having a relatively high risk of lost worktime injuries and illnesses and to focus

on how those incidents occurred and their severity.

High-risk industries

 The most hazardous industries often vary for different work hazards. For example,

nursing homes and scheduled airlines/air courier services led all other industries in

overexertion incidents, the most common way in which lost worktime injuries occur.

But logging and wood container manufacturing topped the industry list for injured

workers being struck by objects, while the roofing and water supply industries registered

the highest rates for falls on the same level. The following tabulation lists the two

industries with the highest incidence rate per 10,000 workers for each event or exposure

shown. These 1994 industry rates ranged from about 4 times to over 10 times the

national rates shown in table A for the same event or exposure category.

 Event or exposure Industry and rate (in parenthesis)

 Overexertion Nursing homes (318), Air transport (307)

 Struck by object Logging (241), Wood containers (227)

 Fall on same level Roofing (121), Water supply (118)

 Transportation incident Taxicabs (114), School buses (102)

 Repetitive motion Hats/millinery (104), Men’s suits (89)

 Assault by person Residential care (40), Nursing homes (37)

High-risk occupations

 Just as certain industries are relatively hazardous, so are certain occupations. In

measuring their relative risk, case shares are compared with employment shares for the

same occupation. (The workforce data are 1994 annual averages from the Current

Population Survey, conducted by the Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics.)

Table B presents the 10 occupations with the most injuries and illnesses involving days

away from work. Together, these 10 occupations accounted for about a third of the 2-1/4

million cases reported in 1994, double their share of employed workers. Eight of the 10

had case shares exceeding employment shares, with nonconstruction laborers, nursing

aides, and construction laborers having the greatest disparity.
- 3 -

Table B. The 10 occupations with the largest number of injuries and illnesses

involving days away from work, shares of case and employment totals, 1994

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Number Percent of total

 Occupation1

 Cases Workers2 Cases Workers2

 (In thousands)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 All occupations .............. 2,236.6 92,973 100.0 100.0

 Total, 10 occupations ......... 728.7 14,636 32.6 15.7

Truckdrivers .................... 163.8 2,438 7.3 2.6

Laborers, nonconstruction ....... 147.3 1,137 6.6 1.2

Nursing aides, orderlies ........ 101.8 1,359 4.6 1.5

Janitors and cleaners ........... 60.6 1,407 2.7 1.5

Laborers, construction .......... 55.7 674 2.5 0.7

Assemblers ...................... 53.0 1,167 2.4 1.3

Carpenters ...................... 37.4 869 1.7 0.9

Stock handlers and baggers ...... 37.2 1,121 1.7 1.2

Cooks ........................... 36.3 1,838 1.6 2.0

Cashiers ........................ 35.6 2,626 1.6 2.8

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 1

Excludes occupations designated either as “not elsewhere classified” or

“not specified.”

 2

Private wage and salary workers, excluding private household workers.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Survey of Occupational Injuries and

Illnesses, 1994, and Current Population Survey, 1994 Annual Averages.

In contrast, cooks and cashiers faced a lower injury risk than their employment shares

would indicate; the large number of injuries and illnesses in these jobs reflected the

workforce size of the occupations.

Worker and case characteristics

 Besides individual occupations, the BLS survey provides injury and illness information

by sex and age of worker, occupational group, length of service with employer at the

time of the incident, and race or ethnic origin (tables 1 and 2). Following are highlights

of the 1994 findings for these worker traits:

 *Men accounted for two-thirds of the 2-1/4 million cases, a proportion somewhat

 higher than their share (55 percent) of all private wage and salary workers.

 *Workers aged 25 to 44 accounted for nearly three-fifths of the cases; the rest were

 about evenly divided between younger and older workers.

 *Operators, fabricators, and laborers led all other occupational groups, accounting

 for fully two-fifths of the case total. This group includes three of the five individual

 jobs with the largest number of lost worktime cases--truckdrivers, laborers, except

 construction, and construction laborers (table 3).

 *Most workers had at least a year of service with their employer when they sustained

 their injury or illness. Indeed, a fourth had over five years, suggesting that many

 experienced workers incur lost worktime injuries.
- 4 -

 Case characteristics help identify the disabling condition resulting from the lost

worktime incident and how the incident happened. As mentioned earlier, the survey

contains four characteristics used to describe each disabling injury or illness (tables 4

through 6). To illustrate, consider an injury to a nursing aide who sprains her back while

lifting a patient. The nature, or physical effect, is a sprain or strain; the part of the body

affected, her back; the event, overexertion while lifting; and the source, the health care

patient. Of the four characteristics, only the source changes when coding a similar

incident for a truckdriver who sprains his back trying to lift a box. Following are

highlights of the 1994 findings for these case characteristics:

 *Sprain and strain was, by far, the leading nature of injury and illness in every major

 industry division, ranging from slightly more than a third to a half of each division’s

 case total.

 *The trunk, including the back, was the body part most affected by disabling work

 incidents in every major industry division. Most other injuries and illnesses were to

 upper or lower extremities.

 *No one source of injury or illness stood out, although four had at least a tenth of the

 case total: Floors and other surfaces, worker motion or position, containers, and

 parts and materials.

 *Overexertion while maneuvering objects led all other disabling events or exposures,

 cited in a sixth to a third of the cases in every industry division.

 *Industry divisions with the lowest and highest incidence rates can vary by event or

 exposure. Mining, for example, had the lowest rate of repetitive motion, but the

 highest rate of workers caught in or compressed by equipment or objects.

Injury and illness severity

 Besides identifying high-risk situations, the survey also helps researchers focus on

those kinds of injuries and illnesses resulting in the lengthiest absences from work (tables

7 through 10). Median days away from work--the key survey measure of duration--

designates the point at which half the cases involved more days and half involved fewer

days. The median number of lost workdays for all cases was 5 days in 1994, with about

a fourth of the cases resulting in 21 days or more away from work. The survey also

found the following patterns:

 *Injury and illness duration increases with age, doubling from a median of four or

 five days for workers aged 20 to 35 to a 10-day median for those 55 years and over.

 *Among major disabling conditions, median days away from work were highest for

 carpal tunnel syndrome (30 days), amputations (24 days), and fractures (20 days).
- 5 -

 *Repetitive motion, such as grasping tools, scanning groceries, and typing, resulted in

 the longest absences from work among the leading events and exposures--a median

 of 18 days. Falls to a lower level and transportation incidents had 10-day medians.

 *Medians varied little among occupations having relatively large numbers of injuries

 and illnesses. In these groups, the medians were commonly five days, with a low of

 four days for food preparers, kitchen workers, welders, and registered nurses and a

 high of eight days for truckdrivers, carpenters, and electricians.

 *Medians also varied little among major industry divisions (ranging from five to eight

 days), except for mining (with a median of 16 days). More variation occurred

 among individual industries.

Assaults by persons profiled

 Violence has emerged as an important safety issue in today’s workplace. In 1994,

some 20,000 incidents involving assaults and other violent acts by persons that resulted

in lost workday injuries and illnesses were reported in the survey. Women were the

victims in nearly three-fifths of these assaults, much higher than their one-third share of

lost worktime cases in private industry.

 The survey enables researchers to analyze a specific injury and illness problem, like

nonfatal assaults, in some detail. Table C illustrates this survey capability, showing

detailed information by type of violent act, the industries and occupations most affected,

and other characteristics of nonfatal assaults.

 Nonfatal violent acts most commonly took the form of “hitting, kicking, and beating,”

accounting for slightly more than two-fifths of all nonfatal assaults. Next in frequency

were violent acts best described as “squeezing, pinching, scratching, or twisting.” These

were about an eighth of all nonfatal assaults.

 At five days, the median absence from work related to disabling assaults equaled the

national median. Slightly more than a fifth of the nonfatal assaults resulted in injuries

lasting 21 days or more.

 Service workers were at especially high risk of nonfatal assaults. This occupational

group accounted for more than two-fifths of the lost workday cases resulting from

assaults by persons, compared with its one-eighth share of all private wage and salary

workers, except private household. Nursing aides and orderlies accounted for more than

half of all assaulted service workers. They and other workers in health and residential

care occupations (nurses and social workers, for example) were assaulted primarily by

patients or residents who resisted their help or were prone to violence.

 Retail operations, such as groceries, restaurants, and department stores, accounted for a

sixth of the cases resulting from nonfatal assaults. The perpetrators of these violent acts

included co-workers, customers, visitors, and robbers. The victims spanned a wide range
- 6 -

Table C. Percent distribution of nonfatal assaults by persons resulting

in injuries and illnesses with days away from work, by selected

characteristics, 1994

Total nonfatal assaults

by persons

Number.............20,438

Percent.............. 100

 Violent act

 Percent ...................... 100

Hitting, kicking, beating ........ 43

Sqeezing, pinching, scratching,

 twisting ....................... 12

Biting ........................... 3

Threat or verbal assault ......... 3

Shooting ......................... 2

Stabbing ......................... 1

Other specified (e.g., resisting

 capture) and unspecified ........ 37

 Workdays lost

 Percent ...................... 100

1 to 5 days ...................... 54

6 to 10 days ..................... 14

11 to 20 days .................... 10

21 days or more .................. 22

 Median days lost .......... 5 days

 Occupation of injured

 Percent ...................... 100

Service occupations .............. 44

 Nursing aides, orderlies ....... 27

 Guards, police (private) ....... 7

 Health aides, except nursing ... 3

Managerial and professional

 specialty ....................... 21

 Registered nurses .............. 7

 Social workers ................. 3

Technical, sales, and admini-

 strative support ................ 21

 Cashiers ....................... 4

 Licensed practical nurses ...... 4

Operators, fabricators, and

 laborers ........................ 10

 Truckdrivers ................... 2

Other ............................ 3

 Sex of injured

 Percent...................... 100

Women........................... 58

Men............................. 41

 Age of injured

 Percent...................... 100

Under 25 years.................. 22

25 to 54 years.................. 70

55 years and over............... 5

Not reported.................... 3

 Source of injury1

 Percent ...................... 100

Persons, other than injured..... 88

 Health care patient........... 48

 Co-worker, former co-worker... 8

 Other, e.g., visitor, robber.. 29

Other source.................... 12

 Industry of injured

 Percent...................... 100

Services........................ 67

 Health services............... 38

 Nursing homes............... 24

 Hospitals................... 11

 Social services............... 16

 Residential care............ 10

 Job training,rehabilitation 4

 Business services............. 5

 Educational services(private). 3

Retail trade.................... 16

 Grocery stores................ 5

 Eating and drinking places.... 3

 Department stores............. 3

Transportation,public utilities. 5

Finance, insurance, real estate. 4

Manufacturing................... 4

Other........................... 4

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 1The source of injury identifies the object, substance, bodily motion,

person, or exposure which directly produced or inflicted the injury.

NOTE: Overall categories may include data for categories not shown. Because of

rounding and because of nonclassifiable responses, data may not sum to totals.

SOURCE: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 1994.
- 7 -

of occupations, including cashiers, stock handlers, food service managers, food preparers,

and food servers.

 One-sixth of the nonfatal assaults took place outside of the services and retail industries.

Examples of these acts included assaults on truckdrivers, bank tellers, and assembly-line

workers.

Technical note

 The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported annually on the number of days-away-fromwork injuries and illnesses in private industry and the rate of such incidents since the early

1970s. The 1994 national survey marks the third year that BLS has collected additional

detailed information on such cases in the form of worker and case characteristics data,

including workdays lost, summarized in this release. (Counts and rates for cases without

lost workdays and related measures also date back to the early 1970s. But because of

limited resources, additional detail on less serious cases such as these has not been

collected.)

 The number and frequency (incidence rates) of these cases are based on logs and other

records kept by private industry employers throughout the year. These records reflect not

only the year’s injury and illness experience but also the employer’s understanding of

which cases are work related under current recordkeeping guidelines of the U.S.

Department of Labor. The number of injuries and illnesses reported in a given year also

can be influenced by changes in the level of economic activity, working conditions and

work practices, worker experience and training, and the number of hours worked.

 The survey continues to measure the number of new work-related illness cases which are

recognized, diagnosed, and reported each year. In 1994, 117,300 of the nearly 2-1/4

million cases with days away from work were classified as illnesses. Some conditions,

e.g., 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 the survey. In contrast, the overwhelming

majority of the reported new illnesses are those which are easier to directly relate to

workplace activity (e.g., contact dermatitis or carpal tunnel syndrome).

 The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses is a Federal/State program (50/50

funded) in which employer reports are collected from about 250,000 private industry

establishments and processed by state agencies cooperating with the Bureau of Labor

Statistics. Occupational injury and illness data for coal, metal, and nonmetal mining and

for railroad activities were provided by the Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health

Administration and the Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration.

The survey excludes all fatalities at work and work-related nonfatal injuries and illnesses

to the self employed; to workers on farms with fewer than 11 employees; to private

household workers; and to employees in federal, state, and local government agencies.

 The survey estimates of the characteristics of cases with days away from work are based

on a scientifically selected probability sample, rather than a census of the entire
- 8 -

population. Two levels of sampling were used. First, establishments were selected to

represent themselves and, in many instances, other establishments of like industry and

workforce size that were not selected that survey year. Then, sampled establishments

projected to have large numbers of days away from work cases were instructed before the

survey began on how to sample those cases to minimize the burden of their response; an

establishment expected to have 20 or fewer cases, however, was instructed to report on

each case, regardless of the actual number it logged for 1994.

 The sample used was one of many possible samples, each of which could have produced

different estimates. The variation in the sample across all possible samples that could have

been drawn is measured by the standard error. For example, the 20,438 nonfatal assaults

by persons has an estimated relative standard error of 1.6 percent, or about 325 cases.

Such errors have been calculated for each estimate and are available upon request.

 The data are also subject to nonsampling error. The inability to obtain detailed

information about all cases in the sample, mistakes in recording or coding the data, and

definitional difficulties are general examples of nonsampling error in the survey.

Although not measured, nonsampling errors will always occur when statistics are gathered.

However, BLS has implemented quality assurance procedures to reduce nonsampling error

in the survey, including a rigorous training program for State coders and a continuing

effort to encourage survey participants to respond fully and accurately to all survey

elements.

 The four case characteristics used to describe lost worktime injury and illness are based

on definitions and rules of selection stipulated in the 1992 BLS Occupational Injury and

Illness Classification System. The occupation of the injured or ill worker is based on the

1990 Occupational Classification System developed by the Bureau of the Census.

Industrial classification of establishments is based on the 1987 edition of the Standard

Industrial Classification Manual.

Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries

 As part of its current safety and health statistical system, the Bureau published complete

counts and characteristics of fatal work injuries. The latest information for 1994 was

released in August 1995. For 1994, the BLS Census counted about 6,600 fatal work

injuries, of which about 4,700 were private wage and salary workers, nearly 700 worked in

government, and virtually all the rest were self employed individuals. Highway incidents

and homicides were the leading ways in which workers were fatally injured, together over

a third of the fatality total.
- 9 -

 Worker and Case Characteristics:

 Supplementary Tables

 The BLS has generated 75 tables that expand on information

 contained in the 10 tables included in this news release. The

 supplementary tables, for example, provide injury and illness

 counts for several hundred industries and occupations, as well

 as detailing the categories within nature of injury or illness,

 part of body affected, source of injury or illness, and event or

 exposure. The characteristic featured in a table often is cross

 tabulated with selected categories of another characteristic,

 for example, detailed occupation by event or exposure. The

 latter table is useful in profiling the major ways that workers

 are hurt in high-risk jobs.

 Because of space limitations, a fuller description or listing

 of these tables is not possible in this release. Both, however,

 can be obtained from BLS staff. Contact (202)606-6170.

 The 75 tables are available on the Internet at the following

 location:

 ftp://stats.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/ocwc/osh/c_d_data/
- 10 -

Table 1. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work1 by selected worker characteristics and industry division, 1994

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Private industry2

Goods-producing Service-producing

Agriculture,

forestry,

and

fishing2

Mining3 Construction Manufactur- ing

Transportation and

public

utilities3

Wholesale

trade Retail trade

Finance,

insurance,

and real

estate

Services

Total .............................................................. 2,236.6 41.0 20.7 218.8 584.3 241.7 165.7 394.6 55.3 514.4

Sex:

Men ..................................................................... 1,483.2 33.9 20.2 213.3 430.8 188.5 141.7 220.4 26.6 207.9Women ............................................................... 730.8 7.0 .5 4.4 149.7 42.7 23.3 171.6 28.5 303.2

Age:4

14 to 15 years ..................................................... 1.2 .1 – – .1 – .2 .4 .1 .316 to 19 years ..................................................... 97.3 2.0 .2 7.4 18.5 4.7 5.4 40.3 1.0 17.720 to 24 years ..................................................... 307.8 8.0 2.0 28.4 74.6 26.0 23.8 72.0 5.9 67.125 to 34 years ..................................................... 708.0 13.3 5.2 82.2 181.2 80.9 56.7 119.8 16.2 152.735 to 44 years ..................................................... 576.9 8.9 7.2 58.3 160.9 67.8 43.6 80.1 13.8 136.345 to 54 years ..................................................... 327.9 4.4 4.2 25.0 95.5 39.7 21.0 44.6 10.6 83.055 to 64 years ..................................................... 147.5 2.6 1.3 10.1 40.9 16.1 9.5 22.3 5.4 39.365 years and over ............................................... 21.0 .6 .1 .8 3.7 .8 1.4 5.7 1.0 7.1

Occupation:

Managerial and professional specialty ............... 118.2 .8 .5 2.9 8.8 3.7 4.9 14.3 6.8 75.5Technical, sales, and administrative support ...... 336.0 1.2 .7 3.0 36.1 35.9 26.0 126.7 23.9 82.5Service ................................................................ 391.3 .6 .1 .9 12.4 12.9 2.3 105.9 12.5 243.5Farming, forestry, and fishing ............................. 52.6 32.6 – .5 4.0 .2 2.3 1.5 3.1 8.3Precision production, craft, and repair ................ 372.3 1.3 10.1 128.2 98.4 29.5 20.3 40.8 5.5 38.2Operators, fabricators, and laborers ................... 950.4 4.3 9.1 82.5 418.2 158.4 109.0 103.0 2.9 62.9

Length of service with employer:

Less than 3 months ............................................ 308.0 10.5 2.6 48.8 69.1 22.2 24.2 62.5 4.1 63.93 to 11 months .................................................... 423.9 8.0 3.7 51.9 95.8 33.8 31.1 86.5 10.0 103.21 to 5 years ......................................................... 707.3 12.4 5.5 67.2 165.3 64.6 54.3 130.2 20.2 187.6More than 5 years ............................................... 595.8 7.7 7.4 37.8 203.3 81.6 46.6 77.2 16.1 118.3Not reported ........................................................ 201.6 2.4 1.5 13.1 50.8 39.7 9.6 38.2 4.9 41.5

Race or ethnic origin:

White, non-Hispanic ........................................... 1,234.1 17.6 4.5 150.1 338.2 102.8 106.7 214.9 29.4 269.9Black, non-Hispanic ............................................ 197.4 1.8 .3 12.2 54.7 18.8 13.6 26.2 5.1 64.7Hispanic .............................................................. 189.7 15.5 2.4 17.7 51.2 11.4 15.5 27.9 4.5 43.6Asian or Pacific Islander ..................................... 33.9 .4 – 1.9 8.4 2.1 2.5 6.0 1.2 11.5American Indian or Alaskan Native .................... 7.2 .2 – 1.2 2.0 .5 .3 .8 .1 1.9Not reported ........................................................ 574.3 5.6 13.6 35.6 129.7 106.0 27.1 118.8 15.0 122.8

1 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or

without restricted work activity. 

2 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 3 Data conforming to OSHA definitions for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal

mining and for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety andHealth Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; and by the Federal Railroad Administration,

U.S. Department of Transportation. Independent mining contractors are excluded from thecoal, metal, and nonmetal industries. 

4 Information is not shown separately in this release for injured workers under age 14; they

accounted for 55 cases.

NOTE: Dashes indicate no data or data not meeting publication guidelines. Because of

rounding and nonclassifiable responses, data may not sum to the totals. 
- 11 -

Table 2. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work1 by selected worker characteristics and industry division, 1994

Characteristic Private industry2

Goods-producing Service-producing

Agriculture,

forestry,

and

fishing2

Mining3 Construction Manufactur- ing

Transportation and

public

utilities3

Wholesale

trade Retail trade

Finance,

insurance,

and real

estate

Services

Total [2,236,600 cases] ............................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Sex:

Men ..................................................................... 66.3 82.6 97.4 97.5 73.7 78.0 85.5 55.8 48.0 40.4Women ............................................................... 32.7 17.1 2.4 2.0 25.6 17.7 14.1 43.5 51.5 58.9

Age:4

14 to 15 years ..................................................... .1 .3 – – – – .1 .1 .1 .116 to 19 years ..................................................... 4.3 4.8 1.0 3.4 3.2 2.0 3.3 10.2 1.8 3.420 to 24 years ..................................................... 13.8 19.5 9.7 13.0 12.8 10.8 14.3 18.2 10.7 13.125 to 34 years ..................................................... 31.7 32.4 24.9 37.5 31.0 33.5 34.2 30.4 29.2 29.735 to 44 years ..................................................... 25.8 21.6 35.0 26.7 27.5 28.1 26.3 20.3 25.0 26.545 to 54 years ..................................................... 14.7 10.7 20.1 11.4 16.3 16.4 12.7 11.3 19.2 16.155 to 64 years ..................................................... 6.6 6.2 6.4 4.6 7.0 6.7 5.8 5.7 9.7 7.665 years and over ............................................... .9 1.4 .4 .4 .6 .3 .8 1.4 1.7 1.4

Occupation:

Managerial and professional specialty ............... 5.3 2.0 2.2 1.3 1.5 1.5 2.9 3.6 12.2 14.7Technical, sales, and administrative support ...... 15.0 2.9 3.2 1.4 6.2 14.8 15.7 32.1 43.2 16.0Service ................................................................ 17.5 1.5 .6 .4 2.1 5.3 1.4 26.8 22.7 47.3Farming, forestry, and fishing ............................. 2.4 79.4 – .2 .7 .1 1.4 .4 5.6 1.6Precision production, craft, and repair ................ 16.6 3.1 48.7 58.6 16.8 12.2 12.2 10.3 9.9 7.4Operators, fabricators, and laborers ................... 42.5 10.5 43.8 37.7 71.6 65.5 65.8 26.1 5.3 12.2

Length of service with employer:

Less than 3 months ............................................ 13.8 25.6 12.5 22.3 11.8 9.2 14.6 15.8 7.4 12.43 to 11 months .................................................... 19.0 19.5 17.9 23.7 16.4 14.0 18.7 21.9 18.1 20.11 to 5 years ......................................................... 31.6 30.2 26.6 30.7 28.3 26.7 32.8 33.0 36.5 36.5More than 5 years ............................................... 26.6 18.7 35.8 17.3 34.8 33.7 28.1 19.6 29.1 23.0Not reported ........................................................ 9.0 5.9 7.2 6.0 8.7 16.4 5.8 9.7 8.9 8.1

Race or ethnic origin:

White, non-Hispanic ........................................... 55.2 42.9 21.8 68.6 57.9 42.5 64.4 54.5 53.1 52.5Black, non-Hispanic ............................................ 8.8 4.4 1.2 5.6 9.4 7.8 8.2 6.6 9.2 12.6Hispanic .............................................................. 8.5 37.8 11.3 8.1 8.8 4.7 9.3 7.1 8.2 8.5Asian or Pacific Islander ..................................... 1.5 .9 – .9 1.4 .9 1.5 1.5 2.1 2.2American Indian or Alaskan Native .................... .3 .4 – .6 .3 .2 .2 .2 .2 .4Not reported ........................................................ 25.7 13.7 65.4 16.3 22.2 43.9 16.3 30.1 27.1 23.9

1 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or

without restricted work activity. 

2 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 3 Data conforming to OSHA definitions for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal

mining and for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety andHealth Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; and by the Federal Railroad Administration,

U.S. Department of Transportation. Independent mining contractors are excluded from thecoal, metal, and nonmetal industries. 

4 Information is not shown separately in this release for injured workers under age 14; they

accounted for 55 cases.

NOTE: Dashes indicate no data or data not meeting publication guidelines. Because of

rounding and nonclassifiable responses, percentages may not add to 100. 
- 12 -

Table 3. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work1 by selected occupations and industry division, 1994

(Numbers in thousands)

Occupation Private industry2

Goods-producing Service-producing

Agriculture,

forestry,

and

fishing2

Mining3 Construction Manufactur- ing

Transportation and

public

utilities3

Wholesale

trade Retail trade

Finance,

insurance,

and real

estate

Services

Total .............................................................. 2,236.6 41.0 20.7 218.8 584.3 241.7 165.7 394.6 55.3 514.4

Truck drivers ........................................................... 163.8 1.3 .8 5.9 15.1 86.0 26.4 18.0 .3 10.1Laborers, nonconstruction ...................................... 147.3 .5 2.2 – 52.5 11.0 39.5 23.3 1.5 16.8Nursing aides, orderlies .......................................... 101.8 – – – – – – – .6 101.2Janitors and cleaners ............................................. 60.6 .4 .1 .4 10.8 1.8 1.9 7.1 7.7 30.5Construction laborers ............................................. 55.7 – – 54.5 .2 .3 – .1 .1 .4Assemblers ............................................................. 53.0 .1 – .2 47.7 .1 2.6 .6 – 1.7Carpenters .............................................................. 37.4 – .1 29.3 3.6 .3 .5 1.6 .4 1.7Stock handlers and baggers ................................... 37.2 – .1 – 1.7 .2 3.3 31.4 – .5Cooks ..................................................................... 36.3 – – – .2 .1 .1 23.9 .5 11.4Cashiers ................................................................. 35.6 – – – .1 .2 .7 32.1 .2 2.3Miscellaneous food preparation .............................. 34.7 – – .1 .3 .1 .1 25.7 .3 8.1Sales workers, miscellaneous commodities ........... 32.2 .1 – – .3 .1 1.3 28.6 .2 1.6Welders and cutters ................................................ 30.3 .1 .5 3.0 22.6 .8 1.8 .1 – 1.4Supervisors and proprietors, sales ......................... 29.8 – – .1 1.0 .1 4.0 23.1 .6 1.0Registered nurses .................................................. 29.6 – – – – – – – .2 29.3Maids and housemen ............................................. 28.7 – – .1 .1 – – .3 .7 27.6Waiters and waitresses .......................................... 22.1 – – .1 – .1 – 14.7 .3 6.9Shipping and receiving clerks ................................. 22.0 .1 – .1 7.4 5.1 2.8 5.3 .2 1.2Automobile mechanics ........................................... 21.5 – – – .6 .4 1.7 13.8 – 5.0Groundskeepers and gardeners, except farm ........ 20.5 8.7 – .5 .3 .1 .4 .9 3.0 6.5Driver-sales workers ............................................... 18.7 – – – 6.3 1.0 7.0 2.3 .1 1.9Electricians ............................................................. 18.6 – .5 12.4 3.0 .6 .2 .1 .1 1.8Farm workers .......................................................... 17.4 16.1 – – .4 – .7 – .1 .1Kitchen workers ...................................................... 16.4 – – – .1 .1 .1 14.5 – 1.6Supervisors, production .......................................... 15.9 – .1 – 11.5 .6 1.0 1.1 .1 1.5Packaging machine operators ................................ 15.2 .1 – – 14.1 – .6 .2 – .3Stock and inventory clerks ...................................... 14.8 – – .2 3.7 .9 1.8 5.7 .1 2.4Industrial machinery repairers ................................ 14.7 – 1.8 .1 10.8 .2 .9 .1 .1 .7Health aides, except nursing .................................. 14.5 – – – – .1 – – .1 14.3Textile sewing machine operators .......................... 14.2 – – – 14.0 – .1 – – .1Guards and police, except public ........................... 14.1 – – .1 .5 .5 .1 1.5 .8 10.6Industrial truck, tractor equipment operators .......... 14.0 .5 .6 .3 6.9 1.7 2.3 1.4 – .3Licensed practical nurses ....................................... 13.9 – – – – – – – – 13.8Plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters .......................... 13.7 – – 10.0 1.7 .4 .7 .1 .1 .8

1 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or

without restricted work activity. 

2 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 3 Data conforming to OSHA definitions for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal

mining and for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety andHealth Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; and by the Federal Railroad Administration,

U.S. Department of Transportation. Independent mining contractors are excluded from thecoal, metal, and nonmetal industries. 

NOTE: Dashes indicate no data or data not meeting publication guidelines. Because of

rounding and occupations not shown, data may not sum to the totals. 
- 13 -

Table 4. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work1 by selected injury or illness characteristics and industry division, 1994

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Private industry2

Goods-producing Service-producing

Agriculture,

forestry,

and

fishing2

Mining3 Construction Manufactur- ing

Transportation and

public

utilities3

Wholesale

trade Retail trade

Finance,

insurance,

and real

estate

Services

Total .............................................................. 2,236.6 41.0 20.7 218.8 584.3 241.7 165.7 394.6 55.3 514.4

Nature of injury, illness:

Sprains, strains ................................................... 963.5 14.8 8.2 81.0 223.3 123.3 74.6 165.9 20.3 252.1Bruises, contusions ............................................ 212.0 3.6 2.6 16.3 54.4 26.4 15.1 41.9 4.4 47.2Cuts, lacerations ................................................. 164.6 4.5 1.4 20.3 48.9 8.0 11.0 43.7 2.9 24.0Fractures ............................................................ 138.5 2.9 2.1 21.2 36.2 13.7 11.1 20.2 4.6 26.6Carpal tunnel syndrome ..................................... 38.3 .3 .1 1.4 17.6 2.6 2.4 4.9 2.6 6.4Heat burns .......................................................... 37.3 .3 .3 3.0 9.5 1.1 1.1 14.7 .3 6.9Tendonitis ........................................................... 25.2 .2 – .9 13.3 .9 1.7 3.0 .9 4.1Chemical burns ................................................... 16.5 .2 .2 1.8 5.7 .7 1.3 2.6 .4 3.5Amputations ........................................................ 12.2 .4 .2 1.0 6.7 .6 1.1 1.2 .1 1.0Multiple injuries ................................................... 70.8 1.3 1.2 7.3 16.3 7.6 6.9 11.2 2.1 17.0

Part of body affected:

Head ................................................................... 151.2 4.2 1.6 20.4 45.0 14.1 10.7 22.6 3.1 29.5

Eye ................................................................. 83.5 2.7 .8 13.1 31.1 5.0 5.9 10.1 1.4 13.4

Neck ................................................................... 40.2 .4 .5 2.8 8.7 6.4 2.6 6.5 1.2 11.0Trunk .................................................................. 866.7 13.4 7.8 79.2 210.9 101.9 68.7 149.3 18.4 217.1

Shoulder ......................................................... 109.5 1.5 .8 9.6 31.0 14.4 8.3 17.2 2.5 24.2Back ................................................................ 606.5 9.3 5.2 53.7 139.2 71.3 47.8 106.4 12.8 160.8

Upper extremities ............................................... 506.8 9.5 3.8 45.9 177.3 34.9 32.6 98.6 12.5 91.7

Wrist ............................................................... 110.2 1.4 .4 7.7 40.2 9.1 6.4 18.1 4.9 22.0Hand, except finger ........................................ 88.1 2.3 .7 9.3 28.8 5.4 4.9 19.2 1.6 15.9Finger ............................................................. 187.4 3.8 1.9 17.5 71.1 9.8 12.3 39.2 2.8 29.0

Lower extremities ............................................... 443.8 9.3 4.9 49.9 99.2 57.5 34.9 79.7 10.9 97.4

Knee ............................................................... 149.1 3.1 1.9 17.3 31.9 18.6 10.1 27.1 3.9 35.1Foot, except toe .............................................. 85.2 1.5 .9 10.6 21.4 9.0 8.1 15.9 1.8 15.9Toe ................................................................. 30.1 .5 .2 3.2 8.0 3.4 2.6 6.0 .5 5.6

Body systems ..................................................... 32.6 .5 .1 2.3 7.2 2.9 1.8 5.5 2.2 9.9Multiple parts ...................................................... 177.7 3.1 1.9 16.9 32.2 22.2 12.9 29.2 6.5 52.9

See footnotes at end of table.
- 14 -

Table 4. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work1 by selected injury or illness characteristics and industry division, 1994 — Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic Private industry2

Goods-producing Service-producing

Agriculture,

forestry,

and

fishing2

Mining3 Construction Manufactur- ing

Transportation and

public

utilities3

Wholesale

trade Retail trade

Finance,

insurance,

and real

estate

Services

Source of injury, illness:

Chemicals and chemical products ...................... 43.0 0.6 1.7 3.3 14.7 2.2 2.4 6.5 1.2 10.4Containers .......................................................... 329.0 3.8 1.1 10.8 82.3 54.5 37.1 85.1 6.0 48.3Furniture and fixtures .......................................... 81.1 .3 .1 3.7 15.2 4.3 4.6 22.3 3.4 27.1Machinery ........................................................... 153.6 3.0 2.5 12.8 64.5 7.1 11.5 28.2 3.1 20.8Parts and materials ............................................. 249.9 3.2 3.5 54.2 103.6 18.9 19.7 25.0 2.5 19.1Worker motion or position ................................... 331.9 6.1 .8 26.7 109.7 35.5 22.0 49.4 11.0 70.8Floors, walkways, ground surfaces .................... 359.9 6.3 3.6 39.1 59.3 41.3 23.1 77.1 13.5 96.5Tools, instruments, and equipment .................... 133.3 3.7 1.8 23.0 38.6 7.5 6.7 24.1 2.6 25.3Vehicles .............................................................. 164.8 3.6 1.4 10.3 26.5 40.3 19.7 24.7 3.5 34.8Health care patient ............................................. 93.0 – – – – 1.6 .1 – .4 91.0

Event or exposure:

Contact with objects and equipment .................. 607.1 13.4 8.3 72.9 196.2 51.2 46.7 112.0 10.3 96.0

Struck by object .............................................. 292.6 6.4 4.1 38.3 82.9 26.0 23.5 59.2 4.9 47.1Struck against object ...................................... 162.3 3.4 1.9 18.5 47.1 13.2 11.5 33.2 3.5 29.9Caught in equipment or object ........................ 95.9 2.0 1.9 6.8 46.7 6.5 7.8 12.1 1.0 11.2

Fall to lower level ................................................ 111.3 3.1 1.9 24.7 17.3 14.6 9.5 15.4 3.9 20.8Fall to same level ................................................ 265.6 3.8 2.0 18.3 45.4 27.2 14.7 65.1 10.4 78.7Slips, trips, loss of balance–without fall .............. 72.5 1.6 .2 6.7 16.4 9.5 4.9 13.0 1.8 18.3Overexertion ....................................................... 613.3 7.1 5.4 49.9 151.8 71.0 50.9 100.7 11.2 165.2

Overexertion in lifting ...................................... 367.4 4.0 2.1 28.5 86.2 42.5 33.1 70.2 6.8 94.1

Repetitive motion ................................................ 92.6 .7 .1 3.3 49.3 5.6 4.7 10.5 5.0 13.3Exposure to harmful substances ........................ 110.9 2.1 1.0 9.8 31.7 7.5 5.2 24.4 2.6 26.7Transportation accidents .................................... 79.8 2.1 .6 6.2 9.5 19.8 8.5 10.3 2.4 20.4Fires and explosions ........................................... 5.0 .1 .1 .8 1.2 .4 .3 1.0 .1 1.2Assaults and violent acts by person ................... 20.4 .1 – .2 .8 1.0 .5 3.2 .9 13.7

1 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or

without restricted work activity. 

2 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 3 Data conforming to OSHA definitions for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal

mining and for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety andHealth Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; and by the Federal Railroad Administration,

U.S. Department of Transportation. Independent mining contractors are excluded from thecoal, metal, and nonmetal industries. 

NOTE: Dashes indicate no data or data not meeting publication guidelines. Because of

rounding and classifications not shown, data may not sum to the totals. 
- 15 -

Table 5. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work1 by selected injury or illness characteristics and industry division, 1994

Characteristic Private industry2

Goods-producing Service-producing

Agriculture,

forestry,

and

fishing2

Mining3 Construction Manufactur- ing

Transportation and

public

utilities3

Wholesale

trade Retail trade

Finance,

insurance,

and real

estate

Services

Total [2,236,600 cases] ............................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Nature of injury, illness:

Sprains, strains ................................................... 43.1 36.2 39.7 37.0 38.2 51.0 45.0 42.0 36.6 49.0Bruises, contusions ............................................ 9.5 8.9 12.6 7.5 9.3 10.9 9.1 10.6 7.9 9.2Cuts, lacerations ................................................. 7.4 11.0 6.5 9.3 8.4 3.3 6.6 11.1 5.2 4.7Fractures ............................................................ 6.2 7.2 10.2 9.7 6.2 5.7 6.7 5.1 8.3 5.2Carpal tunnel syndrome ..................................... 1.7 .8 .3 .7 3.0 1.1 1.4 1.3 4.7 1.3Heat burns .......................................................... 1.7 .7 1.6 1.4 1.6 .5 .7 3.7 .6 1.3Tendonitis ........................................................... 1.1 .6 – .4 2.3 .4 1.1 .8 1.6 .8Chemical burns ................................................... .7 .6 1.2 .8 1.0 .3 .8 .7 .7 .7Amputations ........................................................ .5 .9 1.0 .5 1.1 .2 .7 .3 .2 .2Multiple injuries ................................................... 3.2 3.1 5.9 3.3 2.8 3.1 4.2 2.8 3.8 3.3

Part of body affected:

Head ................................................................... 6.8 10.2 7.6 9.3 7.7 5.8 6.5 5.7 5.5 5.7

Eye ................................................................. 3.7 6.5 4.0 6.0 5.3 2.1 3.5 2.6 2.6 2.6

Neck ................................................................... 1.8 1.0 2.4 1.3 1.5 2.6 1.6 1.7 2.2 2.1Trunk .................................................................. 38.8 32.8 37.6 36.2 36.1 42.2 41.4 37.8 33.2 42.2

Shoulder ......................................................... 4.9 3.6 4.1 4.4 5.3 5.9 5.0 4.4 4.6 4.7Back ................................................................ 27.1 22.6 25.3 24.5 23.8 29.5 28.8 27.0 23.2 31.3

Upper extremities ............................................... 22.7 23.0 18.4 21.0 30.3 14.4 19.7 25.0 22.6 17.8

Wrist ............................................................... 4.9 3.4 2.0 3.5 6.9 3.7 3.9 4.6 8.9 4.3Hand, except finger ........................................ 3.9 5.6 3.4 4.2 4.9 2.3 3.0 4.9 2.9 3.1Finger ............................................................. 8.4 9.2 9.3 8.0 12.2 4.1 7.4 9.9 5.1 5.6

Lower extremities ............................................... 19.8 22.6 23.8 22.8 17.0 23.8 21.0 20.2 19.7 18.9

Knee ............................................................... 6.7 7.6 9.3 7.9 5.5 7.7 6.1 6.9 7.0 6.8Foot, except toe .............................................. 3.8 3.7 4.2 4.8 3.7 3.7 4.9 4.0 3.3 3.1Toe ................................................................. 1.3 1.3 1.1 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.5 .9 1.1

Body systems ..................................................... 1.5 1.3 .7 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.4 4.1 1.9Multiple parts ...................................................... 7.9 7.6 9.4 7.7 5.5 9.2 7.8 7.4 11.8 10.3

See footnotes at end of table.
- 16 -

Table 5. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work1 by selected injury or illness characteristics and industry division, 1994

— Continued

Characteristic Private industry2

Goods-producing Service-producing

Agriculture,

forestry,

and

fishing2

Mining3 Construction Manufactur- ing

Transportation and

public

utilities3

Wholesale

trade Retail trade

Finance,

insurance,

and real

estate

Services

Source of injury, illness:

Chemicals and chemical products ...................... 1.9 1.5 8.2 1.5 2.5 0.9 1.5 1.7 2.1 2.0Containers .......................................................... 14.7 9.2 5.3 4.9 14.1 22.5 22.4 21.6 10.9 9.4Furniture and fixtures .......................................... 3.6 .7 .6 1.7 2.6 1.8 2.7 5.7 6.2 5.3Machinery ........................................................... 6.9 7.3 12.1 5.9 11.0 2.9 6.9 7.2 5.6 4.0Parts and materials ............................................. 11.2 7.8 17.0 24.8 17.7 7.8 11.9 6.3 4.4 3.7Worker motion or position ................................... 14.8 14.9 3.8 12.2 18.8 14.7 13.3 12.5 19.8 13.8Floors, walkways, ground surfaces .................... 16.1 15.5 17.1 17.9 10.2 17.1 13.9 19.5 24.5 18.8Tools, instruments, and equipment .................... 6.0 9.1 8.6 10.5 6.6 3.1 4.1 6.1 4.7 4.9Vehicles .............................................................. 7.4 8.8 7.0 4.7 4.5 16.7 11.9 6.3 6.3 6.8Health care patient ............................................. 4.2 – – – – .6 – – .7 17.7

Event or exposure:

Contact with objects and equipment .................. 27.1 32.6 39.9 33.3 33.6 21.2 28.2 28.4 18.6 18.7

Struck by object .............................................. 13.1 15.7 20.0 17.5 14.2 10.8 14.2 15.0 8.9 9.2Struck against object ...................................... 7.3 8.3 9.4 8.4 8.1 5.4 6.9 8.4 6.3 5.8Caught in equipment or object ........................ 4.3 4.9 9.1 3.1 8.0 2.7 4.7 3.1 1.8 2.2

Fall to lower level ................................................ 5.0 7.5 9.4 11.3 3.0 6.0 5.7 3.9 7.1 4.0Fall to same level ................................................ 11.9 9.2 9.5 8.4 7.8 11.3 8.9 16.5 18.7 15.3Slips, trips, loss of balance–without fall .............. 3.2 3.8 1.0 3.1 2.8 3.9 3.0 3.3 3.3 3.6Overexertion ....................................................... 27.4 17.2 26.2 22.8 26.0 29.4 30.7 25.5 20.2 32.1

Overexertion in lifting ...................................... 16.4 9.8 10.3 13.0 14.7 17.6 20.0 17.8 12.3 18.3

Repetitive motion ................................................ 4.1 1.7 .5 1.5 8.4 2.3 2.8 2.7 9.1 2.6Exposure to harmful substances ........................ 5.0 5.2 4.6 4.5 5.4 3.1 3.1 6.2 4.7 5.2Transportation accidents .................................... 3.6 5.1 3.0 2.8 1.6 8.2 5.1 2.6 4.3 4.0Fires and explosions ........................................... .2 .3 .5 .3 .2 .1 .2 .2 .1 .2Assaults and violent acts by person ................... .9 .3 – .1 .1 .4 .3 .8 1.6 2.7

1 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or

without restricted work activity. 

2 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 3 Data conforming to OSHA definitions for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal

mining and for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety andHealth Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; and by the Federal Railroad Administration,

U.S. Department of Transportation. Independent mining contractors are excluded from thecoal, metal, and nonmetal industries. 

NOTE: Dashes indicate no data or data not meeting publication guidelines. Because of

rounding and classifications not shown, percentages may not add to 100. 
- 17 -

Table 6. Incidence rates1 for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work2 per 10,000 full-time workers for selected characteristics and industry

division, 1994

Characteristic Private industry3

Goods-producing Service-producing

Agriculture,

forestry,

and

fishing3

Mining4 Construction Manufactur- ing

Transportation and

public

utilities4

Wholesale

trade Retail trade

Finance,

insurance,

and real

estate

Services

Total [2,236,600 cases] ............................... 277.0 385.1 329.0 486.2 319.7 423.9 281.1 261.4 88.7 220.4

Nature of injury, illness:

Sprains, strains ................................................... 119.3 139.4 130.7 179.9 122.2 216.2 126.5 109.9 32.5 108.0Bruises, contusions ............................................ 26.2 34.2 41.5 36.3 29.8 46.3 25.6 27.7 7.0 20.2Cuts, lacerations ................................................. 20.4 42.3 21.5 45.0 26.7 14.1 18.6 28.9 4.6 10.3Fractures ............................................................ 17.2 27.6 33.5 47.1 19.8 24.0 18.8 13.4 7.3 11.4Carpal tunnel syndrome ..................................... 4.8 3.2 – 3.2 9.6 4.5 4.0 3.3 4.1 2.8Heat burns .......................................................... 4.6 2.8 5.2 6.8 5.2 2.0 1.9 9.7 – 2.9Tendonitis ........................................................... 3.1 2.3 – 2.0 7.3 1.5 3.0 2.0 1.4 1.8Chemical burns ................................................... 2.0 2.1 3.9 4.1 3.1 1.2 2.2 1.7 – 1.5Amputations ........................................................ 1.5 3.5 3.2 2.3 3.7 – 1.8 – – –Multiple injuries ................................................... 8.8 12.1 19.4 16.2 8.9 13.3 11.8 7.4 3.4 7.3

Part of body affected:

Head ................................................................... 18.7 39.4 24.9 45.4 24.6 24.8 18.2 15.0 4.9 12.6

Eye ................................................................. 10.4 24.9 13.1 29.0 17.0 8.8 10.0 6.7 2.3 5.7

Neck ................................................................... 5.0 3.8 7.9 6.3 4.7 11.2 4.5 4.3 2.0 4.7Trunk .................................................................. 107.3 126.2 123.6 176.0 115.4 178.7 116.5 98.9 29.4 93.0

Shoulder ......................................................... 13.6 14.0 13.4 21.4 17.0 25.2 14.1 11.4 4.0 10.4Back ................................................................ 75.1 87.0 83.1 119.4 76.2 125.0 81.1 70.5 20.6 68.9

Upper extremities ............................................... 62.8 88.7 60.7 102.0 97.0 61.2 55.3 65.3 20.0 39.3

Wrist ............................................................... 13.6 12.9 6.6 17.2 22.0 15.9 10.9 12.0 7.9 9.4Hand, except finger ........................................ 10.9 21.5 11.1 20.6 15.8 9.6 8.4 12.7 2.6 6.8Finger ............................................................. 23.2 35.4 30.6 38.8 38.9 17.2 20.9 26.0 4.5 12.4

Lower extremities ............................................... 55.0 87.1 78.2 110.9 54.3 100.9 59.2 52.8 17.4 41.8

Knee ............................................................... 18.5 29.4 30.6 38.5 17.5 32.6 17.2 17.9 6.2 15.0Foot, except toe .............................................. 10.6 14.2 14.0 23.5 11.7 15.8 13.8 10.5 2.9 6.8Toe ................................................................. 3.7 5.1 3.6 7.1 4.4 5.9 4.3 4.0 – 2.4

Body systems ..................................................... 4.0 5.1 2.3 5.1 3.9 5.1 3.1 3.7 3.6 4.2Multiple parts ...................................................... 22.0 29.4 30.9 37.5 17.6 38.9 21.8 19.3 10.4 22.7

See footnotes at end of table.
- 18 -

Table 6. Incidence rates1 for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work2 per 10,000 full-time workers for selected characteristics and industry

division, 1994 — Continued

Characteristic Private industry3

Goods-producing Service-producing

Agriculture,

forestry,

and

fishing3

Mining4 Construction Manufactur- ing

Transportation and

public

utilities4

Wholesale

trade Retail trade

Finance,

insurance,

and real

estate

Services

Source of injury, illness:

Chemicals and chemical products ...................... 5.3 5.6 27.0 7.4 8.0 3.9 4.1 4.3 1.9 4.4Containers .......................................................... 40.7 35.3 17.6 24.0 45.0 95.6 63.0 56.4 9.7 20.7Furniture and fixtures .......................................... 10.0 2.6 2.1 8.3 8.3 7.5 7.7 14.8 5.5 11.6Machinery ........................................................... 19.0 28.3 39.7 28.4 35.3 12.4 19.5 18.7 4.9 8.9Parts and materials ............................................. 31.0 30.0 55.8 120.5 56.7 33.2 33.4 16.6 4.0 8.2Worker motion or position ................................... 41.1 57.3 12.5 59.4 60.0 62.3 37.2 32.7 17.6 30.4Floors, walkways, ground surfaces .................... 44.6 59.6 56.4 86.9 32.4 72.4 39.2 51.1 21.7 41.4Tools, instruments, and equipment .................... 16.5 35.0 28.3 51.0 21.1 13.2 11.4 16.0 4.2 10.8Vehicles .............................................................. 20.4 33.8 22.9 23.0 14.5 70.7 33.4 16.4 5.6 14.9Health care patient ............................................. 11.5 – – – – 2.7 – – – 39.0

Event or exposure:

Contact with objects and equipment .................. 75.2 125.6 131.4 161.9 107.4 89.8 79.2 74.2 16.5 41.2

Struck by object .............................................. 36.2 60.4 65.6 85.1 45.3 45.7 39.9 39.2 7.9 20.2Struck against object ...................................... 20.1 32.0 30.9 41.1 25.8 23.1 19.5 22.0 5.6 12.8Caught in equipment or object ........................ 11.9 18.8 29.9 15.0 25.5 11.5 13.2 8.0 1.6 4.8

Fall to lower level ................................................ 13.8 29.0 30.8 54.9 9.5 25.6 16.1 10.2 6.3 8.9Fall to same level ................................................ 32.9 35.2 31.4 40.7 24.8 47.8 25.0 43.1 16.6 33.7Slips, trips, loss of balance–without fall .............. 9.0 14.7 3.2 15.0 9.0 16.7 8.4 8.6 2.9 7.8Overexertion ....................................................... 76.0 66.4 86.1 110.9 83.0 124.6 86.4 66.7 17.9 70.8

Overexertion in lifting ...................................... 45.5 37.8 34.0 63.3 47.1 74.5 56.1 46.5 10.9 40.3

Repetitive motion ................................................ 11.5 6.7 1.6 7.3 27.0 9.8 8.0 7.0 8.1 5.7Exposure to harmful substances ........................ 13.7 20.0 15.3 21.8 17.3 13.1 8.8 16.2 4.2 11.4Transportation accidents .................................... 9.9 19.8 9.9 13.8 5.2 34.8 14.4 6.8 3.8 8.8Fires and explosions ........................................... – 1.3 1.6 1.7 – – – – – –Assaults and violent acts by person ................... 2.5 1.0 – – – 1.8 – 2.1 1.4 5.9

1 Incidence rates represent the number of injuries and illnesses per 10,000 full-time

workers and were calculated as: (N/EH) x 20,000,000) where  N = number of injuries and illnesses  EH = total hours worked by all employees during  the calendar year  20,000,000 = base for 10,000 equivalent full-time workers  (working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year). 

2 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or

without restricted work activity. 

3 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 4 Data conforming to OSHA definitions for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal

mining and for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety andHealth Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; and by the Federal Railroad Administration,U.S. Department of Transportation. Independent mining contractors are excluded from thecoal, metal, and nonmetal industries. 

NOTE: Dashes indicate no data, data not meeting publication guidelines, or incidence rates

less than 1.0 per 10,000 full-time workers. 
- 19 -

Table 7. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work1 by selected worker characteristics and number of days awayfrom work, 1994

Characteristic Total

cases

Percent of cases involving Median

days away

from work 1 day 2 days 3 to 5 days 6 to 10 days 11 to 20 days 21 to 30 days 31 days or more

Total [2,236,600 cases] ............................... 100.0 16.3 12.9 21.0 13.3 11.2 6.4 18.9 5

Sex:

Men ..................................................................... 100.0 16.7 12.9 20.7 13.3 11.1 6.4 19.0 5Women ............................................................... 100.0 15.5 13.1 21.8 13.4 11.5 6.4 18.4 5

Age:2

14 to 15 years ..................................................... 100.0 15.4 26.8 23.7 12.5 5.5 9.2 6.8 416 to 19 years ..................................................... 100.0 23.3 16.9 24.6 13.6 9.6 4.5 7.4 320 to 24 years ..................................................... 100.0 19.6 16.4 23.3 13.2 10.2 5.7 11.7 425 to 34 years ..................................................... 100.0 17.6 13.7 22.1 13.6 10.9 6.1 16.2 535 to 44 years ..................................................... 100.0 15.2 12.0 20.0 13.1 11.6 6.5 21.6 645 to 54 years ..................................................... 100.0 13.0 10.6 19.0 13.3 12.3 7.0 24.8 855 to 64 years ..................................................... 100.0 10.7 9.3 18.0 13.0 12.5 8.5 28.0 1065 years and over ............................................... 100.0 10.2 10.1 18.6 13.2 12.2 7.5 28.2 10

Occupation:

Managerial and professional specialty ............... 100.0 17.9 15.0 22.3 13.8 10.5 5.4 15.1 5Technical, sales, and administrative support ...... 100.0 16.6 13.5 21.5 13.0 11.0 6.8 17.6 5Service ................................................................ 100.0 15.8 13.8 24.1 14.2 10.9 5.5 15.7 5Farming, forestry, and fishing ............................. 100.0 13.5 12.8 22.7 15.2 12.3 6.4 17.1 6Precision production, craft, and repair ................ 100.0 16.6 12.4 19.6 12.5 11.2 6.6 21.2 6Operators, fabricators, and laborers ................... 100.0 16.1 12.3 20.0 13.2 11.5 6.7 20.3 6

Length of service with employer:

Less than 3 months ............................................ 100.0 18.1 14.3 22.1 12.9 9.6 6.1 16.9 53 to 11 months .................................................... 100.0 17.6 14.1 22.6 13.6 10.3 5.5 16.3 51 to 5 years ......................................................... 100.0 16.7 13.2 21.6 13.4 11.1 6.3 17.7 5More than 5 years ............................................... 100.0 14.2 11.5 19.0 13.2 12.7 7.1 22.4 7

Race or ethnic origin:

White, non-Hispanic ........................................... 100.0 16.9 13.1 21.1 12.8 10.9 6.5 18.8 5Black, non-Hispanic ............................................ 100.0 15.4 13.4 21.4 13.7 10.9 6.0 19.1 5Hispanic .............................................................. 100.0 15.2 12.2 21.3 14.5 11.6 6.7 18.5 6Asian or Pacific Islander ..................................... 100.0 15.9 14.0 24.6 14.6 10.8 5.3 14.8 5American Indian or Alaskan Native .................... 100.0 15.0 12.9 23.5 16.2 9.3 6.4 16.7 5

1 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or

without restricted work activity. 

2 Information is not shown separately in this release for injured workers under age 14;

they accounted for 55 cases.

NOTE: Because of rounding, percentages may not add to 100. 
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Table 8. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work1 by selected occupations and number of days awayfrom work, 1994

Occupation Total cases

Percent of cases involving Median

days away

from work 1 day 2 days 3 to 5 days 6 to 10 days 11 to 20 days 21 to 30 days 31 days or more

Total [2,236,600 cases] ............................... 100.0 16.3 12.9 21.0 13.3 11.2 6.4 18.9 5

Truck drivers ........................................................... 100.0 11.6 9.9 19.7 13.9 12.7 7.0 25.2 8Laborers, nonconstruction ...................................... 100.0 16.7 13.3 20.9 13.2 10.8 6.6 18.4 5Nursing aides, orderlies .......................................... 100.0 13.9 14.2 24.1 15.4 11.8 5.0 15.6 5Janitors and cleaners ............................................. 100.0 17.1 12.6 19.9 14.0 10.6 7.1 18.7 6Construction laborers ............................................. 100.0 15.6 11.9 20.2 13.6 10.2 7.2 21.3 6Assemblers ............................................................. 100.0 18.7 11.9 18.5 12.4 11.8 6.5 20.3 6Carpenters .............................................................. 100.0 14.4 10.4 18.3 14.3 11.1 7.4 24.1 8Stock handlers and baggers ................................... 100.0 16.4 14.7 22.8 14.3 10.7 6.7 14.4 5Cooks ..................................................................... 100.0 17.3 14.9 25.8 11.9 11.5 5.4 13.2 5Cashiers ................................................................. 100.0 14.8 13.2 23.2 12.3 9.3 9.3 17.8 5Miscellaneous food preparation .............................. 100.0 21.7 12.7 23.4 15.2 10.4 4.5 12.1 4Sales workers, miscellaneous commodities ........... 100.0 16.1 13.0 22.4 13.2 11.3 8.0 16.2 5Welders and cutters ................................................ 100.0 24.9 13.8 16.7 11.7 9.0 6.2 17.7 4Supervisors and proprietors, sales ......................... 100.0 15.9 14.9 21.0 13.2 11.0 8.2 15.8 5Registered nurses .................................................. 100.0 17.7 16.3 23.5 12.5 11.0 5.5 13.5 4Maids and housemen ............................................. 100.0 14.4 12.9 25.4 14.4 10.9 6.1 16.0 5Waiters and waitresses .......................................... 100.0 15.8 14.7 27.7 13.0 7.6 4.4 16.9 5Shipping and receiving clerks ................................. 100.0 18.3 14.2 21.8 13.1 11.9 5.6 15.0 5Automobile mechanics ........................................... 100.0 18.5 14.7 20.4 12.5 10.0 5.4 18.6 5Groundskeepers and gardeners, except farm ........ 100.0 15.2 14.0 24.5 14.5 10.0 6.5 15.3 5Driver-sales workers ............................................... 100.0 12.0 13.5 21.8 12.8 13.5 5.3 21.1 6Electricians ............................................................. 100.0 15.4 12.1 16.7 12.8 12.1 8.1 22.9 8Farm workers .......................................................... 100.0 12.3 10.7 23.1 15.4 14.3 5.8 18.3 6Kitchen workers ...................................................... 100.0 18.6 14.2 25.0 13.7 9.4 4.3 14.8 4Supervisors, production .......................................... 100.0 19.0 13.8 20.9 13.5 10.0 7.0 15.8 5Packaging machine operators ................................ 100.0 15.8 12.0 18.5 12.6 13.7 6.0 21.3 7Stock and inventory clerks ...................................... 100.0 18.3 13.4 22.1 12.3 11.9 7.2 14.8 5Industrial machinery repairers ................................ 100.0 16.8 11.0 18.2 10.5 12.5 7.0 24.0 7Health aides, except nursing .................................. 100.0 16.7 15.3 25.8 16.3 10.7 4.6 10.5 5Textile sewing machine operators .......................... 100.0 18.7 10.8 18.0 11.6 11.8 6.6 22.6 6Guards and police, except public ........................... 100.0 15.0 12.0 22.8 12.5 10.0 5.7 21.9 6Industrial truck, tractor equipment operators .......... 100.0 16.1 14.6 19.9 11.3 11.8 6.9 19.5 5Licensed practical nurses ....................................... 100.0 16.1 12.5 25.7 11.8 10.7 4.9 18.2 5Plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters .......................... 100.0 18.6 10.4 18.9 12.7 10.1 6.5 22.9 7

1 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or

without restricted work activity. 

NOTE: Because of rounding, percentages may not add to 100. 
- 21 -

Table 9. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work1 by selected injury or illness characteristics and number of daysaway from work, 1994

Characteristic Total

cases

Percent of cases involving Median

days away

from work 1 day 2 days 3 to 5 days 6 to 10 days 11 to 20 days 21 to 30 days 31 days or more

Total [2,236,600 cases] ............................... 100.0 16.3 12.9 21.0 13.3 11.2 6.4 18.9 5

Nature of injury, illness:

Sprains, strains ................................................... 100.0 12.9 12.8 23.2 14.9 12.1 6.1 18.2 6Bruises, contusions ............................................ 100.0 23.5 17.6 23.6 12.4 8.1 4.0 10.6 3Cuts, lacerations ................................................. 100.0 26.8 16.0 21.6 13.7 9.2 4.5 8.3 3Fractures ............................................................ 100.0 7.7 6.9 12.3 10.8 12.9 11.3 38.0 20Carpal tunnel syndrome ..................................... 100.0 3.4 3.6 7.5 10.3 14.6 12.0 48.7 30Heat burns .......................................................... 100.0 19.1 14.9 25.1 15.3 11.6 5.7 8.2 4Tendonitis ........................................................... 100.0 11.5 8.4 18.2 14.8 14.3 8.6 24.1 10Chemical burns ................................................... 100.0 32.6 20.4 22.7 10.5 5.9 3.0 4.8 2Amputations ........................................................ 100.0 5.3 4.0 9.9 11.2 15.4 14.0 40.2 24Multiple injuries ................................................... 100.0 14.5 11.7 20.2 12.7 11.7 7.4 21.8 7

Part of body affected:

Head ................................................................... 100.0 39.6 20.6 20.3 8.0 4.9 1.6 4.9 2

Eyes ................................................................ 100.0 48.2 23.3 19.1 5.2 2.3 .5 1.3 2

Neck ................................................................... 100.0 14.6 13.8 20.4 12.2 11.2 5.7 22.1 6Trunk .................................................................. 100.0 11.9 11.8 22.6 14.5 12.2 6.7 20.2 7

Shoulder ......................................................... 100.0 12.6 10.7 19.3 13.3 11.8 7.0 25.4 8Back ................................................................ 100.0 11.6 12.3 23.9 15.1 12.0 5.9 19.1 6

Upper extremities ............................................... 100.0 18.2 12.9 18.9 13.3 11.2 7.0 18.6 6

Wrist ............................................................... 100.0 10.4 9.1 15.0 12.6 12.1 9.1 31.8 13Hand, except finger ........................................ 100.0 20.7 15.5 23.4 13.6 9.4 4.6 12.8 4Finger ............................................................. 100.0 22.7 13.9 19.3 13.8 11.2 7.0 12.0 4

Lower extremities ............................................... 100.0 15.3 12.9 21.1 13.3 11.4 7.0 19.1 6

Knee ............................................................... 100.0 11.9 10.7 18.8 13.2 13.2 7.5 24.7 9Foot, except toe .............................................. 100.0 18.9 14.5 21.8 12.1 10.0 6.7 15.8 5Toe ................................................................. 100.0 20.4 15.0 22.9 13.8 11.3 6.7 9.9 4

Body systems ..................................................... 100.0 24.3 14.9 20.1 13.2 7.8 5.0 14.7 4Multiple parts ...................................................... 100.0 13.5 11.3 20.1 12.4 11.6 6.4 24.7 7

See footnotes at end of table.
- 22 -

Table 9. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work1 by selected injury or illness characteristics and number of daysaway from work, 1994 — Continued

Characteristic Total

cases

Percent of cases involving Median

days away

from work 1 day 2 days 3 to 5 days 6 to 10 days 11 to 20 days 21 to 30 days 31 days or more

Source of injury, illness:

Chemicals and chemical products ...................... 100.0 30.7 19.1 23.0 11.0 6.7 2.8 6.7 3Containers .......................................................... 100.0 14.9 12.6 22.5 14.4 11.8 6.2 17.6 5Furniture and fixtures .......................................... 100.0 18.7 15.1 23.0 13.4 9.5 5.4 14.9 4Machinery ........................................................... 100.0 16.7 12.6 19.8 13.5 12.0 7.0 18.5 6Parts and materials ............................................. 100.0 18.0 13.5 21.2 13.0 10.9 6.5 16.8 5Worker motion or position ................................... 100.0 11.1 10.8 19.6 13.8 12.9 7.6 24.2 8Floors, walkways, ground surfaces .................... 100.0 12.2 11.5 20.1 12.7 11.1 7.6 24.9 8Tools, instruments, and equipment .................... 100.0 23.1 14.7 21.6 13.4 9.8 5.2 12.2 4Vehicles .............................................................. 100.0 13.7 11.9 19.4 13.2 12.8 6.5 22.6 7Health care patient ............................................. 100.0 13.9 14.0 24.9 15.1 12.3 5.0 14.8 5

Event or exposure:

Contact with objects and equipment .................. 100.0 24.3 15.5 20.6 12.3 9.3 5.3 12.7 4

Struck by object .............................................. 100.0 24.3 15.6 21.2 12.8 8.9 5.0 12.2 4Struck against object ...................................... 100.0 23.8 15.6 21.3 12.3 9.2 5.7 12.2 4Caught in equipment or object ........................ 100.0 16.9 12.2 18.7 13.1 13.1 7.0 19.1 6

Fall to lower level ................................................ 100.0 11.0 10.0 17.3 12.2 11.6 9.6 28.4 10Fall to same level ................................................ 100.0 13.1 12.4 21.4 12.7 10.8 6.9 22.6 6Slips, trips, loss of balance–without fall .............. 100.0 13.2 12.5 23.2 13.4 12.5 6.4 18.8 6Overexertion ....................................................... 100.0 12.2 12.0 22.7 15.0 12.4 6.4 19.3 6

Overexertion in lifting ...................................... 100.0 11.8 12.1 23.3 15.3 12.5 6.1 18.8 6

Repetitive motion ................................................ 100.0 7.3 6.6 12.4 12.4 14.3 10.6 36.4 18Exposure to harmful substances ........................ 100.0 28.1 17.4 23.5 12.1 8.0 3.6 7.2 3Transportation accidents .................................... 100.0 11.6 11.3 16.6 12.0 14.6 7.3 26.6 10Fires and explosions ........................................... 100.0 20.8 8.1 15.5 13.4 9.6 4.5 28.1 7Assaults and violent acts by person ................... 100.0 19.1 14.8 20.6 13.7 9.9 5.1 16.9 5

1 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or

without restricted work activity. 

NOTE: Because of rounding, percentages may not add to 100. 
- 23 -

Table 10. Percent distribution of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work1 by industry division and number of days away from work, 1994

Characteristic Total

cases

Percent of cases involving Median

days away

from work 1 day 2 days 3 to 5 days 6 to 10 days 11 to 20 days 21 to 30 days 31 days or more

Private industry2 [2,236,600 cases] ...................... 100.0 16.3 12.9 21.0 13.3 11.2 6.4 18.9 5

Goods-producing:

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing2 ................... 100.0 13.5 12.9 23.1 14.7 12.2 6.1 17.6 6

Mining3 ........................................................... 100.0 9.1 7.2 15.8 11.0 10.0 5.9 40.9 16

Construction ................................................... 100.0 15.5 11.8 19.3 13.2 10.7 6.7 22.8 7Manufacturing ................................................. 100.0 18.6 12.9 18.9 12.7 11.4 6.7 18.8 5

Durable goods ............................................ 100.0 19.1 12.8 18.4 12.5 11.4 6.9 18.9 5Nondurable goods ...................................... 100.0 17.7 12.9 19.6 12.9 11.6 6.5 18.8 5

Service-producing:

Transportation and public utilities3 ................. 100.0 12.0 10.6 19.6 14.2 12.7 7.0 24.0 8

Wholesale trade .............................................. 100.0 16.9 13.5 22.2 12.5 11.3 5.9 17.8 5Retail trade ..................................................... 100.0 16.3 13.8 22.9 13.4 10.5 6.7 16.5 5Finance, insurance, and real estate ............... 100.0 17.0 12.2 21.0 12.6 11.0 5.8 20.4 5Services .......................................................... 100.0 16.2 14.1 23.1 14.0 11.0 5.7 16.0 5

1 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days away from work with or

without restricted work activity. 

2 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 3 Data conforming to OSHA definitions for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal

mining and for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety

and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor; and by the Federal RailroadAdministration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Independent mining contractors areexcluded from the coal, metal, and nonmetal industries. 

NOTE: Because of rounding, percentages may not add to 100. 
- 24 -