1998 OSH SUMMARY ESTIMATES

SUPPLEMENTAL CHARTS

December 16, 1999
0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998

Incidence rates per 100 full-time workers

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

December 1999

Total cases

Cases without lost workdays

Lost workday cases

Cases with days away from work

A total of 5.9 million injuries and illnesses occurred in private industry work places during 1998,

resulting in a rate of 6.7 cases for every 100 equivalent full-time workers. This was the lowest

rate ever recorded and the first time that injury and illness rates declined 6 years in a row.

Occupational injury and illness incidence rates by type of case,

private industry, 1980-98
0

1

2

3

4

5

1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998

Incidence rates per 100 full-time workers

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

December 1999

Lost workday cases

Cases with days away from work

Cases with days of restricted 

work activity only

The incidence rate for lost workday cases has declined steadily from 4.1 cases per

100 full-time workers in 1990 to 3.1 cases per 100 full-time workers in 1998. Rates 

for the two types of lost workdays cases moved in opposite directions, however.

Lost workday case incidence rates, injuries and illnesses,

private industry, 1976-98
0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998

Incidence rates per 100 full-time workers

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

December 1999

Lost workday cases

Cases with days away from work

Cases with days of restricted 

work activity only

The incidence rate for cases with days away from work has declined from 4.2 cases per 100

full-time workers in 1990 to 2.3 cases per 100 full-time workers in 1998. Rates for cases with

days of restricted work activity have increased, and in 1998 the rate was higher than the rate

for cases with days away from work.

Lost workday case incidence rates, injuries and illnesses,

manufacturing, 1976-98
4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998

Incidence rates per 100 full-time workers

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

December 1999

Occupational injury and illness incidence rates for total recordable

cases, 1980-98

The 1992-98 decline in rates per 100 full-time workers for both goods-producing and

service-producing industries (25 and 23 percent, respectively) about matched the

decrease in the overall rate over the same period.

Goods-producing

industries

All industries

Service-producing

industries
Total case incidence rates for all private industries,

construction, and manufacturing, 1974-98

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998

Incidence rates per 100 full-time workers

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

December 1999

In 1998, the overall rate in construction remained below the rate in manufacturing.

Construction

Manufacturing

All private industries
Nonfatal workplace injury and illness incidence rates by 

industry division, 1994-98

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Agriculture,

forestry, and

fishing

Mining Construction Manufacturing Transportation &

public utilities

Trade Finance,

insurance, & real

estate

Services

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

Incidence rates per 100 full-time workers

Rates per 100 full-time workers declined from 1994 to 1998 in all industry divisions.

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

December 1999
0

2

4

6

8

10

1- 10 11 - 49 50 - 249 250 - 999 1000+

Incidence rates per 100 full-time workers

Establishment employment size groups

Nationwide, injury rates generally are higher for mid-size establishments

employing 50 to 249 workers than for smaller or larger establishments,

although this pattern does not hold within certain industry divisions.

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

December 1999

All establishments = 6.2

Total case incidence rates for injuries only by establishment

employment size group, private industry, 1998
Industries with at least 100,000 nonfatal injury cases, 1998

Hospitals

Eating and

drinking places

Nursing and

personal care

facilities

Grocery stores

Motor vehicles

and equipment

manufacturing

Department

stores

Trucking and

courier services,

except air

Air transportation,

scheduled

All other private

industries

Eight industries, each having at least 100,000 injuries, accounted

for about 1.5 million injuries, or 28 percent of the 5.5 million total.

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

December 1999
Manufacturing

Services

Finance,

insurance,

& real estate

Trade

Transportation

& public utilities

Construction

Agriculture,

forestry,

& fishing

Mining

Manufacturing accounted for three-fifths of all newly reported

occupational illnesses for private industry in 1998.

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

December 1999

Nonfatal workplace illnesses by industry division, 1998
Total nonfatal cases in

private industry, 1998:

injuries versus illnesses

Nonfatal illness cases by

selected categories,

private industry, 1998

5,923,000 total cases 392,000 total cases

Injuries

5,531,000

cases

Illnesses

392,000

cases

Disorders

associated

with

repeated

trauma Skin

diseases

All other

workrelated

illnesses

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

December 1999

253,300

cases

53,100

cases

85,600

cases

Of the 5.9 million nonfatal injuries and illnesses reported in 1998, 5.5 million were injuries. The remainder of these

private industry cases (392,000 cases) were work-related illnesses. Sixty-five percent (253,300 cases) of the

workplace illnesses were disorders associated with repeated trauma, such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
Occupational illness cases, private industry, 1976-98

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998

Number of cases (in thousands)

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

December 1999

Total illness cases

Disorders associated

with repeated trauma

All other illnesses

Disorders associated with repeated trauma declined for 4 consecutive years, 1995-98. 

About 253,300 cases were reported in 1998 compared with a high of 332,000 cases in 1994.