United States

Department

of Labor

Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212

Technical information: (202) 691-6179 USDL 03-913 

Media information: (202) 691-5902 For release: 10 A.M. EST 

Internet address: http://www.bls.gov/iif/home.htm Thursday, December 18, 2003 

WORKPLACE INJURIES AND ILLNESSES IN 2002 

A total of 4.7 million nonfatal injuries and illnesses were reported in private industry 

workplaces during 2002, resulting in a rate of 5.3 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers, 

according to a survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Among 

goods-producing industry divisions, incidence rates during 2002 ranged from 4.0 cases per 100 

full-time workers in mining to 7.2 cases per 100 full-time workers in manufacturing. (See 

table 1.) Within the service-providing sector, incidence rates ranged from 1.7 cases per 100 fulltime workers in finance, insurance, and real estate to 6.1 cases per 100 full-time workers in 

transportation and public utilities. Because of changes by the Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration to its recordkeeping requirements, the data for 2002 are not comparable with data 

for prior years. (See the “Background of the Survey” section for a discussion of recordkeeping 

changes and of the factors that can influence rate changes from one survey to the next.) 

This release is the second in a series of three releases covering 2002 from the BLS safety 

and health statistical series. The first release, in September 2003, covered work-related fatalities 

from the 2002 National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. In March 2004, a third release 

will provide details on the more seriously injured and ill workers (occupation, age, gender, race, 

and length of service) and on the circumstances of their injuries and illnesses (nature of the 

disabling condition, part of body affected, event or exposure, and primary source producing the 

disability). “More seriously” is defined in this survey as cases involving days away from work. 

Revisions to the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses 

Effective January 1, 2002, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) revised 

its requirements for recording occupational injuries and illnesses. The BLS Survey of 

Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, the primary source for the estimates of occupational injuries 

and illnesses in this release, is based on employers’ records of injuries and illnesses. Due to the 

revised recordkeeping rule, the estimates from the 2002 survey are not comparable with those 

from previous years. See the “Background of the Survey” for additional information. 
2

For private industry in 2002, rates for injuries and illnesses combined generally were 

higher for mid-size establishments (those employing 50 to 249 workers) than for smaller or 

larger establishments, although this pattern did not hold for all industry divisions. (See table 3.) 

Seven industries, each having at least 100,000 injuries and illnesses combined, accounted for 

about 1.3 million cases, or 27 percent of the 4.7 million total. (See table 4.) 

Approximately 2.5 million injuries and illnesses were cases with days away from work, 

job transfer, or restriction; that is, they required recuperation away from work, transfer to another 

job, restricted duties at work, or a combination of these actions. The remaining 2.2 million 

injuries and illnesses were other recordable cases that did not result in time away from work. 

(See table 2.) The incidence rate for cases with days away from work, job transfer, or restriction 

was 2.8 cases per 100 workers, and the rate for other recordable cases was 2.5. 

Cases with days away from work, job transfer, or restriction are comprised of two case 

types, those requiring at least one day away from work, with or without job transfer or restricted 

work activity, and those requiring job transfer or restriction. The latter type of case may involve 

shortened hours, a temporary job change, or temporary restrictions on certain duties (for 

example, no heavy lifting) of a worker’s regular job. Separately, the rate for cases with days 

away from work was 1.6 cases per 100 workers and the rate for cases with job transfer or 

restriction was 1.2. The rate in manufacturing for cases with job transfer or restriction (2.3) was 

higher than the rate for days-away-from-work cases (1.7). (See chart 1.) In all other divisions, 

the rate for days-away-from-work cases was higher than the rate for cases with job transfer or 

restriction. 

012345

Services

Finance, insurance & real estate

Wholesale & retail trade

Transportation & public utilities

Manufacturing

Construction

Mining

Agriculture, forestry, & fishing

Private industry

Incidence rates per 100 full-time workers

Chart 1. Incidence rates for cases with days away from work, job transfer, or 

restriction, by case type and industry division, 2002 

 Cases with days away from work

 Cases with job transfer or restriction
3

Injuries and Illnesses 

Injuries. Of the 4.7 million nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in 2002, 4.4 

million were injuries. The services and trade divisions had the largest shares of injury cases, 

about 27 percent each, followed by manufacturing with just over 23 percent. (See table 5 and 

chart 2.) 

Illnesses. There were about 294,500 newly reported cases of occupational illnesses in 

private industry. Manufacturing accounted for nearly 45 percent of these cases. (See table 6 and 

chart 3.) The “All other illnesses” category accounted for nearly 76 percent of total illness cases 

in 2002. Since the revised recordkeeping guidelines no longer provide categories to record 

separately cases such as disorders associated with repeated trauma or disorders due to physical 

agents, these cases likely are being captured in the all other illnesses category. One-half of all 

other illness cases were in manufacturing industries. 

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 the survey’s illness measures. 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). 

Manufacturing

23.3 % 

Services

27.3 % 

Finance,

insurance, 

& real estate 

2.3 % 

Wholesale & 

retail trade 

27.0 

Transportation

& public utilities 

8.2 % 

Construction

9.3 % 

Agriculture,

forestry, 

& fishing 

2.0 % 

Mining

0.5 % 

Chart 2. Percent of nonfatal workplace injuries by industry division, 2002 
4

Background of the Survey 

The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses is a Federal/State program in which 

employer reports were collected from about 182,800 private industry establishments in 2002 and 

processed by State agencies cooperating with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The survey 

measures nonfatal injuries and illnesses only. The survey excludes the self-employed; farms 

with fewer than 11 employees; private households; Federal government agencies; and, for 

national estimates, employees in State and local government agencies. 

The annual survey provides estimates of the number and frequency (incidence rates) of 

workplace injuries and illnesses based on logs kept by private industry employers during 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 recordkeeping rules 

promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department 

of Labor. On January 19, 2001, OSHA promulgated revisions to its requirements for recording 

occupational injuries and illnesses. These revisions became effective January 1, 2002, and are, 

therefore, reflected in the 2002 survey. Details about the revised requirements, including a 

summary of the revisions and a comparison between the old and the new requirements, are 

available from the OSHA Internet site at http://www.osha-slc.gov/recordkeeping/index.html or 

from OSHA’s Office of Public Affairs at 202-693-1999. Due to the revised requirements, the 

estimates from the 2002 survey are not comparable with those from prior years. The survey was 

not designed to be able to determine the impact of the revision on the estimates of nonfatal 

occupational injuries and illnesses. 

Manufacturing

44.5 % 

Services

25.9 % 

Finance,

insurance, 

& real estate

4.3 % 

Wholesale & 

retail trade 

12.7 % 

Transportation

& public utilities 

6.9 % 

Construction

3.2 % 

Agriculture,

forestry, 

& fishing 

2.1 % 

Mining

0.3 % 

 Chart 3. Percent of nonfatal workplace illnesses by industry division, 2002 
5

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 

(MSHA) and the Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), 

respectively. Neither of these agencies adopted the revised OSHA recordkeeping requirements 

for 2002. Therefore, estimates for these industries for 2002 are not comparable with estimates 

for other industries, but are comparable with estimates for prior years. 

The number of injuries and illnesses reported in any year can be influenced by the level 

of economic activity, working conditions and work practices, worker experience and training, 

and the number of hours worked. 

Establishments are classified in industry categories based on the 1987 Standard 

Industrial Classification (SIC) Manual, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget. 

The survey estimates of occupational injuries and illnesses are based on a scientifically selected 

probability sample, rather than a census of the entire population. Because the data are based on a 

sample survey, the injury and illness estimates probably differ from the figures that would be 

obtained from all units covered by the survey. To determine the precision of each estimate, a 

standard error was calculated. The standard error defines a range (confidence interval) around 

the estimate. The approximate 95-percent confidence interval is the estimate plus or minus twice 

the standard error. The standard error also can be expressed as a percent of the estimate, or the 

relative standard error. For example, the 95-percent confidence interval for an incidence rate of 

6.5 per 100 full-time workers with a relative standard error of 1.0 percent would be 6.5 plus or 

minus 2 percent (2 times 1.0 percent) or 6.37 to 6.63. One can be 95 percent confident that the 

“true” incidence rate falls within the confidence interval. The 2002 incidence rate for all 

occupational injuries and illnesses of 5.3 per 100 full-time workers in private industry has an 

estimated relative standard error of about 0.7 percent. A relative standard error was calculated 

for each estimate from the survey and will be available on the BLS Internet site at 

http://www.bls.gov/iif/home.htm, as well as published in a BLS bulletin that is scheduled to be 

available at a later date. 

The data also are subject to nonsampling error. The inability to obtain information about 

all cases in the sample, mistakes in recording or coding the data, and definition difficulties are 

examples of nonsampling error in the survey. Nonsampling errors are not measured. However, 

BLS has implemented quality assurance procedures to minimize nonsampling error in the 

survey. 

The goods-producing sector consists of the following industry divisions: agriculture, 

forestry, and fishing; mining; construction; and manufacturing. The service-producing sector 

includes the following industry divisions: transportation and public utilities; trade; finance, 

insurance, and real estate; and services. BLS has generated estimates of injuries and illnesses 

combined and of injuries alone for nearly all 2-, 3-, and, for manufacturing, 4-digit private sector 

industries as defined in the 1987 Standard Industrial Classification Manual. Because of space 

limitations, a complete listing of these estimates is not possible in this release. The information 

is available from BLS staff on 202-691-6179 and from the BLS Internet site at 

http://www.bls.gov/iif/home.htm. 
TABLE 1. Incidence rates1 of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by selected industries and case

types, 2002

Industry2 SIC

code3

Total

recordable

cases

Cases with days away from work,

job transfer, or restriction

Other

recordable

cases Total

Cases

with days

away from

work4

Cases

with job

transfer or

restriction

Private industry5 ................................................ 5.3 2.8 1.6 1.2 2.5

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing5 ............... 6.4 3.3 2.1 1.2 3.1

Agricultural production5 ................................. 01-02 7.0 3.8 2.2 1.6 3.2

Agricultural production—crops5 ................... 01 6.2 3.5 2.0 1.5 2.7

Agricultural production—livestock5 .............. 02 9.0 4.7 2.8 1.9 4.4

Agricultural services .................................... 07 6.1 3.0 2.1 .9 3.1

Forestry ....................................................... 08 5.2 2.4 1.4 .9 2.8

Fishing, hunting, and trapping ..................... 09 4.5 1.2 1.1 .1 3.4

Mining6 ........................................................... 4.0 2.6 2.0 .7 1.4

Metal mining7 ............................................... 10 4.1 2.3 1.6 .7 1.7

Coal mining7 ................................................ 12 6.8 4.9 4.6 .3 1.9

Oil and gas extraction .................................. 13 3.4 2.2 1.5 .7 1.3

Nonmetallic minerals, except fuels7 ............ 14 3.8 2.6 1.7 .9 1.2

Construction .................................................. 7.1 3.8 2.8 1.1 3.2

General building contractors ....................... 15 6.2 3.2 2.3 .9 2.9

Heavy construction, except building ............ 16 6.4 3.7 2.4 1.3 2.7

Special trade contractors ............................. 17 7.5 4.1 3.0 1.1 3.5

Manufacturing ................................................ 7.2 4.1 1.7 2.3 3.1

Durable goods ............................................... 7.9 4.3 1.9 2.4 3.6

Lumber and wood products ......................... 24 10.1 5.7 2.9 2.8 4.4

Furniture and fixtures .................................. 25 9.9 6.0 2.2 3.8 3.9

Stone, clay, and glass products .................. 32 9.4 5.4 2.6 2.8 4.0

Primary metal industries .............................. 33 10.3 5.5 2.5 3.0 4.8

Fabricated metal products ........................... 34 9.8 5.1 2.4 2.7 4.7

Industrial machinery and equipment ........... 35 6.7 3.3 1.6 1.7 3.4

Electronic and other electric equipment ...... 36 4.5 2.4 1.0 1.3 2.1

Transportation equipment ........................... 37 10.1 5.8 1.9 3.9 4.3

Instruments and related products ................ 38 3.3 1.9 .8 1.1 1.5

Miscellaneous manufacturing industries ..... 39 6.2 3.4 1.7 1.7 2.8

Nondurable goods ......................................... 6.2 3.8 1.6 2.2 2.5

Food and kindred products .......................... 20 9.3 6.1 2.2 3.9 3.2

Tobacco products ........................................ 21 4.0 2.1 1.3 .7 1.9

Textile mill products ..................................... 22 5.2 3.0 .9 2.1 2.2

Apparel and other textile products ............... 23 4.6 2.7 1.2 1.6 1.8

Paper and allied products ............................ 26 5.6 3.1 1.7 1.5 2.4

Printing and publishing ................................ 27 4.0 2.2 1.2 1.1 1.8

Chemicals and allied products .................... 28 3.3 1.9 .8 1.1 1.4

Petroleum and coal products ....................... 29 3.6 2.2 1.3 .8 1.4

Rubber and miscellaneous plastics 

products ..................................................... 30 8.8 5.1 2.2 2.9 3.6

Leather and leather products ...................... 31 7.3 4.3 1.7 2.7 3.0

See footnotes at end of table.

6
TABLE 1. Incidence rates1 of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by selected industries and case

types, 2002— Continued

Industry2 SIC

code3

Total

recordable

cases

Cases with days away from work,

job transfer, or restriction

Other

recordable

cases Total

Cases

with days

away from

work4

Cases

with job

transfer or

restriction

Transportation and public utilities8 ............. 6.1 4.0 2.7 1.3 2.1

Railroad transportation8 ............................... 40 3.0 2.3 2.1 .2 .7

Local and interurban passenger transit ....... 41 7.9 4.6 3.3 1.3 3.4

Trucking and warehousing .......................... 42 7.0 4.6 3.3 1.3 2.4

Water transportation .................................... 44 6.8 4.4 3.2 – –

Transportation by air ................................... 45 11.8 8.4 5.2 3.2 3.4

Transportation services ............................... 47 2.9 1.7 1.0 .7 1.2

Communications .......................................... 48 3.0 2.0 1.4 .5 1.0

Electric, gas, and sanitary services ............. 49 5.0 2.8 1.5 1.3 2.2

Wholesale and retail trade ............................ 5.3 2.7 1.6 1.1 2.6

Wholesale trade ............................................ 5.2 3.1 1.7 1.3 2.1

Wholesale trade—durable goods ................ 50 4.5 2.5 1.5 1.0 2.0

Wholesale trade—nondurable goods .......... 51 6.1 3.9 2.2 1.7 2.2

Retail trade .................................................... 5.3 2.5 1.5 1.0 2.7

Building materials and garden supplies ....... 52 7.2 4.3 2.5 1.8 2.9

General merchandise stores ....................... 53 7.7 4.7 2.2 2.5 2.9

Food stores ................................................. 54 6.8 3.4 2.1 1.2 3.4

Automotive dealers and service stations ..... 55 5.1 2.2 1.6 .6 2.8

Apparel and accessory stores ..................... 56 3.0 1.3 .8 .5 1.6

Furniture and homefurnishings stores ......... 57 4.2 2.3 1.4 .9 1.9

Eating and drinking places .......................... 58 4.6 1.6 1.1 .5 3.0

Miscellaneous retail ..................................... 59 3.6 1.9 1.1 .8 1.7

Finance, insurance, and real estate ............. 1.7 .8 .5 .2 .9

Depository institutions ................................. 60 1.5 .6 .4 .1 .9

Nondepository institutions ........................... 61 1.0 .4 .3 .1 .5

Security and commodity brokers ................. 62 .5 .2 .1 9 ( ) .3

Insurance carriers ........................................ 63 1.6 .6 .4 .2 1.0

Insurance agents, brokers, and service ...... 64 .9 .3 .2 .1 .6

Real estate .................................................. 65 3.5 1.9 1.3 .7 1.6

Holding and other investment offices .......... 67 1.8 .6 .5 .1 –

Services .......................................................... 4.6 2.2 1.3 .9 2.4

Hotels and other lodging places .................. 70 6.6 3.4 1.8 1.5 3.2

Personal services ........................................ 72 3.0 1.8 1.1 .7 1.2

Business services ........................................ 73 2.7 1.3 .9 .4 1.4

Auto repair, services, and parking ............... 75 4.5 2.2 1.6 .6 2.3

Miscellaneous repair services ..................... 76 4.9 2.7 2.0 .8 2.2

Motion pictures ............................................ 78 2.2 .9 .7 .2 1.3

Amusement and recreation services ........... 79 6.3 3.2 1.7 1.5 3.1

Health services ............................................ 80 7.4 3.4 2.0 1.5 4.0

Legal services ............................................. 81 .8 .3 .2 .1 .4

Educational services ................................... 82 2.8 1.3 .8 .5 1.5

Social services ............................................ 83 5.5 2.9 1.8 1.1 2.6

Museums, botanical, zoological gardens .... 84 4.9 2.6 1.6 .9 2.3

See footnotes at end of table.

7
TABLE 1. Incidence rates1 of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by selected industries and case

types, 2002— Continued

Industry2 SIC

code3

Total

recordable

cases

Cases with days away from work,

job transfer, or restriction

Other

recordable

cases Total

Cases

with days

away from

work4

Cases

with job

transfer or

restriction

Membership organizations .......................... 86 2.6 1.1 0.8 0.3 1.5

Engineering and management services ...... 87 1.5 .7 .5 .2 .8

1 The incidence rates represent the number of injuries and

illnesses per 100 full-time workers and were calculated as: (N/EH) x

200,000, where 

N = number of injuries and illnesses 

EH = total hours worked by all employees during the 

calendar year 

200,000 = base for 100 equivalent full-time workers 

(working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year)

2 Totals include data for industries not shown separately. 3 Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987 Edition. 4 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days

away from work with or without job transfer or restriction. 5 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 6 Data for mining (Division B in the Standard Industrial

Classification Manual, 1987 Edition) include establishments not

governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules

and reporting, such as those in oil and gas extraction. Data for mining

operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal mining are provided to BLS by

the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. 

Independent mining contractors are excluded from the coal, metal, and

nonmetal mining industries. These data do not reflect the changes

OSHA made to its recordkeeping requirements effective January 1,

2002; therefore, estimates for these industries are not comparable with

estimates for other industries. 7 Data for mining operators in this industry are provided to BLS by

the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. 

Independent mining contractors are excluded. These data do not

reflect the changes OSHA made to its recordkeeping requirements

effective January 1, 2002; therefore, estimates for these industries are

not comparable with estimates for other industries. 8 Data for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS

by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of

Transportation. These data do not reflect the changes OSHA made to

its recordkeeping requirements effective January 1, 2002; therefore,

estimates for these industries are not comparable with estimates for

other industries. 9 Incidence rate less than 0.05.

NOTE: Because of rounding, components may not add to totals. 

Dash indicates data not available. 

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor 

8
TABLE 2. Numbers of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by selected industries and case types,

2002

(thousands)

Industry1 SIC

code2

Total

recordable

cases

Cases with days away from work,

job transfer, or restriction

Other

recordable

cases Total

Cases

with days

away from

work3

Cases

with job

transfer or

restriction

Private industry4 ................................................ 4,700.6 2,494.3 1,436.2 1,058.2 2,206.3

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing4 ............... 96.3 49.3 31.5 17.7 47.0

Agricultural production4 ................................. 01-02 38.4 20.9 12.0 8.9 17.5

Agricultural production—crops4 ................... 01 24.5 13.7 7.7 6.0 10.8

Agricultural production—livestock4 .............. 02 13.9 7.1 4.2 2.9 6.7

Agricultural services .................................... 07 56.3 27.7 19.1 8.6 28.6

Forestry ....................................................... 08 1.3 .6 .3 .2 .7

Fishing, hunting, and trapping ..................... 09 .4 .1 .1 5 ( ) .3

Mining6 ........................................................... 23.0 15.1 11.4 3.7 7.9

Metal mining7 ............................................... 10 1.1 .6 .4 .2 .5

Coal mining7 ................................................ 12 5.5 4.0 3.8 .3 1.5

Oil and gas extraction .................................. 13 11.7 7.3 5.1 2.2 4.4

Nonmetallic minerals, except fuels7 ............ 14 4.7 3.2 2.1 1.1 1.5

Construction .................................................. 417.7 226.8 163.7 63.1 190.9

General building contractors ....................... 15 79.5 41.9 30.2 11.7 37.6

Heavy construction, except building ............ 16 53.7 31.0 19.9 11.1 22.6

Special trade contractors ............................. 17 284.5 153.8 113.5 40.3 130.7

Manufacturing ................................................ 1,159.5 656.4 280.0 376.4 503.1

Durable goods ............................................... 757.8 413.4 179.3 234.0 344.4

Lumber and wood products ......................... 24 74.2 41.8 21.5 20.4 32.4

Furniture and fixtures .................................. 25 45.0 27.4 9.9 17.4 17.7

Stone, clay, and glass products .................. 32 51.0 29.4 14.4 15.1 21.5

Primary metal industries .............................. 33 60.3 32.2 14.8 17.3 28.1

Fabricated metal products ........................... 34 130.8 68.2 31.8 36.4 62.6

Industrial machinery and equipment ........... 35 119.1 58.8 28.9 29.9 60.4

Electronic and other electric equipment ...... 36 60.9 32.2 14.1 18.1 28.7

Transportation equipment ........................... 37 169.7 97.4 32.3 65.1 72.3

Instruments and related products ................ 38 26.3 14.8 6.0 8.9 11.4

Miscellaneous manufacturing industries ..... 39 20.5 11.1 5.7 5.5 9.3

Nondurable goods ......................................... 401.7 243.0 100.7 142.4 158.7

Food and kindred products .......................... 20 155.5 101.6 36.7 64.8 53.9

Tobacco products ........................................ 21 1.4 .7 .5 .3 .7

Textile mill products ..................................... 22 21.1 12.3 3.7 8.6 8.8

Apparel and other textile products ............... 23 20.5 12.2 5.2 7.1 8.3

Paper and allied products ............................ 26 34.0 19.1 10.1 9.0 14.9

Printing and publishing ................................ 27 50.1 27.8 14.7 13.1 22.2

Chemicals and allied products .................... 28 33.0 18.8 7.8 10.9 14.3

Petroleum and coal products ....................... 29 4.6 2.7 1.7 1.0 1.8

Rubber and miscellaneous plastics 

products ..................................................... 30 78.0 45.6 19.4 26.2 32.4

Leather and leather products ...................... 31 3.6 2.2 .8 1.3 1.5

See footnotes at end of table.

9
TABLE 2. Numbers of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by selected industries and case types,

2002— Continued

(thousands)

Industry1 SIC

code2

Total

recordable

cases

Cases with days away from work,

job transfer, or restriction

Other

recordable

cases Total

Cases

with days

away from

work3

Cases

with job

transfer or

restriction

Transportation and public utilities8 ............. 382.7 251.8 168.6 83.2 130.9

Railroad transportation8 ............................... 40 6.8 5.2 4.6 .5 1.6

Local and interurban passenger transit ....... 41 29.3 16.9 12.0 4.9 12.4

Trucking and warehousing .......................... 42 124.6 82.2 58.4 23.8 42.3

Water transportation .................................... 44 11.9 7.7 5.6 – –

Transportation by air ................................... 45 112.4 80.0 49.7 30.3 32.4

Transportation services ............................... 47 11.1 6.6 4.0 2.6 4.4

Communications .......................................... 48 44.9 29.7 21.5 8.2 15.2

Electric, gas, and sanitary services ............. 49 41.6 23.4 12.7 10.6 18.2

Wholesale and retail trade ............................ 1,227.7 625.6 372.2 253.4 602.1

Wholesale trade ............................................ 322.0 190.5 108.8 81.7 131.5

Wholesale trade—durable goods ................ 50 166.5 91.4 54.0 37.5 75.0

Wholesale trade—nondurable goods .......... 51 155.5 99.0 54.8 44.2 56.5

Retail trade .................................................... 905.8 435.1 263.4 171.7 470.6

Building materials and garden supplies ....... 52 67.9 40.5 23.7 16.8 27.4

General merchandise stores ....................... 53 160.9 99.0 47.0 52.0 62.0

Food stores ................................................. 54 169.2 83.6 52.8 30.8 85.6

Automotive dealers and service stations ..... 55 111.6 49.0 35.0 14.1 62.6

Apparel and accessory stores ..................... 56 23.8 10.8 6.8 4.0 13.0

Furniture and homefurnishings stores ......... 57 38.8 21.5 13.3 8.2 17.3

Eating and drinking places .......................... 58 252.3 88.3 60.8 27.4 164.0

Miscellaneous retail ..................................... 59 81.2 42.4 23.9 18.5 38.8

Finance, insurance, and real estate ............. 115.4 52.3 36.7 15.6 63.1

Depository institutions ................................. 60 27.6 10.5 8.0 2.5 17.1

Nondepository institutions ........................... 61 6.9 3.1 2.2 .9 3.9

Security and commodity brokers ................. 62 3.3 1.3 1.0 .3 2.0

Insurance carriers ........................................ 63 21.1 8.2 5.6 2.5 12.9

Insurance agents, brokers, and service ...... 64 6.4 2.3 1.7 .6 4.1

Real estate .................................................. 65 46.1 25.6 17.1 8.6 20.5

Holding and other investment offices .......... 67 3.8 1.3 1.0 .3 –

Services .......................................................... 1,278.4 617.1 372.2 244.9 661.3

Hotels and other lodging places .................. 70 87.6 45.0 24.4 20.5 42.7

Personal services ........................................ 72 29.4 17.6 10.5 7.1 11.9

Business services ........................................ 73 149.4 73.4 49.9 23.6 76.0

Auto repair, services, and parking ............... 75 49.6 24.2 17.9 6.3 25.4

Miscellaneous repair services ..................... 76 16.0 9.0 6.5 2.5 7.1

Motion pictures ............................................ 78 8.2 3.3 2.5 .9 4.9

Amusement and recreation services ........... 79 68.5 34.5 18.1 16.4 34.0

Health services ............................................ 80 623.6 288.5 164.7 123.8 335.1

Legal services ............................................. 81 7.1 2.9 2.2 .8 4.1

Educational services ................................... 82 37.6 17.7 10.8 6.9 19.8

Social services ............................................ 83 130.7 68.8 42.5 26.3 61.9

Museums, botanical, zoological gardens .... 84 4.0 2.1 1.4 .8 1.9

See footnotes at end of table.

10
TABLE 2. Numbers of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by selected industries and case types,

2002— Continued

(thousands)

Industry1 SIC

code2

Total

recordable

cases

Cases with days away from work,

job transfer, or restriction

Other

recordable

cases Total

Cases

with days

away from

work3

Cases

with job

transfer or

restriction

Membership organizations .......................... 86 18.2 7.7 5.4 2.3 10.5

Engineering and management services ...... 87 48.2 22.2 15.3 6.9 26.0

1 Totals include data for industries not shown separately. 2 Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987 Edition. 3 Days-away-from-work cases include those which result in days

away from work with or without job transfer or restriction. 4 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 5 Fewer than 50 cases. 6 Data for mining (Division B in the Standard Industrial

Classification Manual, 1987 Edition) include establishments not

governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules

and reporting, such as those in oil and gas extraction. Data for mining

operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal mining are provided to BLS by

the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. 

Independent mining contractors are excluded from the coal, metal, and

nonmetal mining industries. These data do not reflect the changes

OSHA made to its recordkeeping requirements effective January 1,

2002; therefore, estimates for these industries are not comparable with

estimates for other industries.

7 Data for mining operators in this industry are provided to BLS by

the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. 

Independent mining contractors are excluded. These data do not

reflect the changes OSHA made to its recordkeeping requirements

effective January 1, 2002; therefore, estimates for these industries are

not comparable with estimates for other industries. 8 Data for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS

by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of

Transportation. These data do not reflect the changes OSHA made to

its recordkeeping requirements effective January 1, 2002; therefore,

estimates for these industries are not comparable with estimates for

other industries.

NOTE: Because of rounding, components may not add to totals. 

Dash indicates data not available. 

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor 

11
TABLE 3. Incidence rates1 of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by industry division and employment size, 2002

Industry division All

establishments

Establishment employment size (workers)

1 to 10 11 to 49 50 to 249 250 to 999 1,000 or more

Private industry2 ............................................. 5.3 2.0 4.6 6.7 6.2 6.0

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing2 ............... 6.4 3.5 6.4 8.6 6.0 4.3

Mining3 ....................................................... 4.0 2.1 4.0 5.3 3.9 1.3

Construction ............................................... 7.1 4.0 8.0 8.6 6.2 5.5

Manufacturing ............................................. 7.2 3.1 7.3 8.2 7.1 6.7

Durable goods ........................................ 7.9 4.2 8.4 9.0 7.8 7.0

Nondurable goods .................................. 6.2 1.4 5.3 7.1 6.2 6.1

Transportation and public utilities4 ............. 6.1 2.6 5.2 7.2 6.4 6.7

Wholesale and retail trade .......................... 5.3 2.0 4.6 7.0 7.3 4.3

Wholesale trade ...................................... 5.2 2.0 4.9 6.8 6.8 3.1

Retail trade ............................................. 5.3 2.1 4.5 7.0 7.5 4.7

Finance, insurance, and real estate ........... 1.7 1.2 1.6 2.3 2.0 1.3

Services ...................................................... 4.6 1.3 3.0 5.9 5.8 6.8

1 The incidence rates represent the number of injuries and illnesses per 100

full-time workers and were calculated as: (N/EH) x 200,000, where 

N = number of injuries and illnesses 

EH = total hours worked by all employees during the 

calendar year 

200,000 = base for 100 equivalent full-time workers 

(working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year)

2 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 3 Data for mining (Division B in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual,

1987 Edition) include establishments not governed by the Mine Safety and

Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as those in oil and gas

extraction. Data for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal mining are

provided to BLS by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department

of Labor. Independent mining contractors are excluded from the coal, metal, and

nonmetal mining industries. These data do not reflect the changes OSHA made

to its recordkeeping requirements effective January 1, 2002; therefore, estimates

for these industries are not comparable with estimates for other industries. 4 Data for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS by the

Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. These data

do not reflect the changes OSHA made to its recordkeeping requirements

effective January 1, 2002; therefore, estimates for these industries are not

comparable with estimates for other industries.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor 

12
TABLE 4. Numbers of cases and incidence rates1 of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses for

industries with 100,000 or more cases, 2002

Industry2 SIC

code3

Total cases

(thousands)

Incidence

rate

Hospitals .............................................................................. 806 321.4 9.7

Eating and drinking places ................................................... 581 252.3 4.6

Nursing and personal care facilities ..................................... 805 187.0 12.6

Grocery stores ...................................................................... 541 161.2 7.3

Department stores ................................................................ 531 144.0 7.7

Motor vehicles and equipment ............................................. 371 110.9 12.1

Trucking and courier services, except air ............................. 421 106.8 6.8

Private industry4 .................................................... 4,700.6 5.3

1 The incidence rates represent the number of injuries and

illnesses per 100 full-time workers and were calculated as: (N/EH) x

200,000, where 

N = number of injuries and illnesses 

EH = total hours worked by all employees during the 

calendar year 

200,000 = base for 100 equivalent full-time workers 

(working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year)

2 Industries with 100,000 or more cases were determined by

analysis of the number of cases at the 3-digit SIC code level. 3 Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987 Edition. 4 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor 

13
TABLE 5. Incidence rates1 and numbers of nonfatal occupational injuries by selected industries, 2002

Industry SIC

code2

Incidence

rate Number (000)

Private industry3 ..................................................................... 5.0 4,406.1

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing3 ..................................... 6.0 90.1

Agricultural production3 ....................................................... 01-02 6.5 35.7

Agricultural production—crops3 ........................................ 01 5.7 22.5

Agricultural production—livestock3 ................................... 02 8.6 13.2

Agricultural services .......................................................... 07 5.7 52.9

Forestry ............................................................................. 08 4.7 1.1

Fishing, hunting, and trapping ........................................... 09 4.5 .4

Mining4 ................................................................................. 3.8 22.0

Metal mining5 .................................................................... 10 3.7 1.0

Coal mining5 ...................................................................... 12 6.3 5.1

Oil and gas extraction ....................................................... 13 3.3 11.3

Nonmetallic minerals, except fuels5 .................................. 14 3.7 4.5

Construction ........................................................................ 6.9 408.3

General building contractors ............................................. 15 6.0 77.6

Heavy construction, except building ................................. 16 6.2 52.0

Special trade contractors .................................................. 17 7.4 278.8

Manufacturing ..................................................................... 6.4 1,028.5

Durable goods ..................................................................... 7.0 673.6

Lumber and wood products .............................................. 24 9.6 70.5

Furniture and fixtures ........................................................ 25 9.0 40.9

Stone, clay, and glass products ........................................ 32 8.9 48.7

Primary metal industries ................................................... 33 9.6 56.2

Fabricated metal products ................................................ 34 9.0 121.0

Industrial machinery and equipment ................................. 35 6.2 110.0

Electronic and other electric equipment ............................ 36 3.9 52.0

Transportation equipment ................................................. 37 8.0 134.5

Instruments and related products ..................................... 38 2.7 21.2

Miscellaneous manufacturing industries ........................... 39 5.7 18.8

Nondurable goods ............................................................... 5.5 354.9

Food and kindred products ............................................... 20 7.9 132.4

Tobacco products ............................................................. 21 3.7 1.2

Textile mill products .......................................................... 22 4.6 19.0

Apparel and other textile products .................................... 23 3.7 16.6

Paper and allied products ................................................. 26 5.2 32.0

Printing and publishing ...................................................... 27 3.7 46.2

Chemicals and allied products .......................................... 28 2.9 28.8

Petroleum and coal products ............................................ 29 3.5 4.4

Rubber and miscellaneous plastics 

products .......................................................................... 30 8.1 71.7

Leather and leather products ............................................ 31 5.1 2.6

Transportation and public utilities6 ................................... 5.8 362.2

Railroad transportation6 .................................................... 40 3.0 6.7

Local and interurban passenger transit ............................. 41 7.5 27.8

Trucking and warehousing ................................................ 42 6.8 121.4

Water transportation ......................................................... 44 6.6 11.5

Transportation by air ......................................................... 45 11.1 105.9

Transportation services ..................................................... 47 2.8 10.6

Communications ............................................................... 48 2.6 39.1

Electric, gas, and sanitary services ................................... 49 4.7 39.1

Wholesale and retail trade ................................................. 5.1 1,190.3

Wholesale trade .................................................................. 5.0 312.1

Wholesale trade—durable goods ...................................... 50 4.4 161.3

See footnotes at end of table.

14
TABLE 5. Incidence rates1 and numbers of nonfatal occupational injuries by selected industries, 2002—

Continued

Industry SIC

code2

Incidence

rate Number (000)

Wholesale trade—nondurable goods ................................ 51 5.9 150.8

Retail trade .......................................................................... 5.1 878.2

Building materials and garden supplies ............................ 52 7.0 66.4

General merchandise stores ............................................. 53 7.4 155.6

Food stores ....................................................................... 54 6.5 162.1

Automotive dealers and service stations .......................... 55 4.9 108.3

Apparel and accessory stores ........................................... 56 2.9 23.1

Furniture and homefurnishings stores .............................. 57 4.1 38.0

Eating and drinking places ................................................ 58 4.5 247.5

Miscellaneous retail .......................................................... 59 3.5 77.2

Finance, insurance, and real estate .................................. 1.5 102.6

Depository institutions ....................................................... 60 1.3 23.9

Nondepository institutions ................................................. 61 .8 5.9

Security and commodity brokers ....................................... 62 .4 2.9

Insurance carriers ............................................................. 63 1.3 17.1

Insurance agents, brokers, and service ............................ 64 .8 5.7

Real estate ........................................................................ 65 3.3 43.7

Services ............................................................................... 4.3 1,202.0

Hotels and other lodging places ........................................ 70 6.3 83.3

Personal services .............................................................. 72 2.9 28.0

Business services ............................................................. 73 2.6 141.6

Auto repair, services, and parking .................................... 75 4.4 48.2

Miscellaneous repair services ........................................... 76 4.7 15.5

Motion pictures .................................................................. 78 2.2 7.9

Amusement and recreation services ................................. 79 6.0 65.1

Health services ................................................................. 80 6.9 580.6

Legal services ................................................................... 81 .7 6.4

Educational services ......................................................... 82 2.6 35.8

Social services .................................................................. 83 5.2 125.1

Museums, botanical, zoological gardens .......................... 84 4.6 3.8

Membership organizations ................................................ 86 2.4 16.8

Engineering and management services ............................ 87 1.4 43.6

1 The incidence rates represent the number of injuries per 100

full-time workers and were calculated as: (N/EH) x 200,000, where 

 

N = number of injuries 

EH = total hours worked by all employees during the 

calendar year 

200,000 = base for 100 equivalent full-time workers 

(working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year)

2 Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987 Edition. 3 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 4 Data for mining (Division B in the Standard Industrial

Classification Manual, 1987 Edition) include establishments not

governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules

and reporting, such as those in oil and gas extraction. Data for mining

operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal mining are provided to BLS by

the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. 

Independent mining contractors are excluded from the coal, metal, and

nonmetal mining industries. These data do not reflect the changes

OSHA made to its recordkeeping requirements effective January 1,

2002; therefore, estimates for these industries are not comparable with

estimates for other industries. 5 Data for mining operators in this industry are provided to BLS by

the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. 

Independent mining contractors are excluded. These data do not reflect

the changes OSHA made to its recordkeeping requirements effective

January 1, 2002; therefore, estimates for these industries are not

comparable with estimates for other industries. 6 Data for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS

by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of

Transportation. These data do not reflect the changes OSHA made to

its recordkeeping requirements effective January 1, 2002; therefore,

estimates for these industries are not comparable with estimates for

other industries.

NOTE: Because of rounding, components may not add to totals.

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor 

15
TABLE 6. Incidence rates1 and numbers of nonfatal occupational illnesses by industry division and category of

illness, 2002

Industry division Total cases

Skin

diseases

or

disorders

Respiratory

conditions Poisonings All otherillnesses

Incidence rates per 10,000 full-time workers

Private industry2 ......................................... 33.3 5.1 2.5 0.5 25.2

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing2 ............ 40.7 18.8 3.9 1.6 16.5

Mining3 .................................................... 17.7 1.5 2.4 .5 13.4

Construction ........................................... 15.8 3.9 1.5 .9 9.5

Manufacturing ......................................... 81.7 8.4 2.7 .7 69.8

Durable goods .................................... 88.0 9.7 2.9 .8 74.6

Nondurable goods .............................. 72.4 6.6 2.4 .6 62.8

Transportation and public utilities4 .......... 32.8 3.8 2.2 .5 26.4

Wholesale and retail trade ...................... 16.0 2.5 1.8 .5 11.2

Wholesale trade .................................. 15.9 3.3 1.2 .4 10.9

Retail trade ......................................... 16.1 2.3 – .5 11.3

Finance, insurance, and real estate ....... 18.6 1.8 1.1 .2 15.5

Services .................................................. 27.5 6.0 3.5 .4 17.5

Numbers of illnesses in thousands

Private industry2 ......................................... 294.5 44.9 22.0 4.7 222.9

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing2 ............ 6.2 2.8 .6 .2 2.5

Mining3 .................................................... 1.0 .1 .1 5 ( ) .8

Construction ........................................... 9.3 2.3 .9 .5 5.6

Manufacturing ......................................... 131.0 13.5 4.4 1.1 112.1

Durable goods .................................... 84.2 9.2 2.8 .8 71.4

Nondurable goods .............................. 46.9 4.3 1.6 .4 40.7

Transportation and public utilities4 .......... 20.4 2.3 1.4 .3 16.4

Wholesale and retail trade ...................... 37.4 6.0 4.2 1.1 26.1

Wholesale trade .................................. 9.9 2.1 .8 .3 6.8

Retail trade ......................................... 27.5 3.9 – .9 19.4

Finance, insurance, and real estate ....... 12.8 1.3 .7 .1 10.6

Services .................................................. 76.4 16.6 9.8 1.2 48.8

1 The incidence rates represent the number of illnesses per 10,000

full-time workers and were calculated as: (N/EH) x 20,000,000, where

N = number of 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 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees. 3 Data for mining (Division B in the Standard Industrial Classification

Manual, 1987 Edition) include establishments not governed by the Mine

Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as

those in oil and gas extraction. Data for mining operators in coal, metal,

and nonmetal mining are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety and Health

Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. Independent mining contractors

are excluded from the coal, metal, and nonmetal mining industries. These

data do not reflect the changes OSHA made to its recordkeeping

requirements effective January 1, 2002; therefore, estimates for these

industries are not comparable with estimates for other industries. 4 Data for employers in railroad transportation are provided to BLS by

the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. 

These data do not reflect the changes OSHA made to its recordkeeping

requirements effective January 1, 2002; therefore, estimates for these

industries are not comparable with estimates for other industries. 5 Fewer than 50 cases.

NOTE: Because of rounding, components may not add to totals. Dash

indicates data not available. 

SOURCE: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor 

16