Chart 1. Incidence rates of total recordable cases, private 

industry, 2009-18

Chart 2. Incidence rates of days away from work cases and job 

transfer or restriction only cases, private industry, 2009-18

For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Thursday, November 7, 2019 USDL-19-1909

Technical information: (202) 691-6170 • IIFSTAFF@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/iif 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov

 EMPLOYER-REPORTED WORKPLACE INJURIES AND ILLNESSES – 2018

There were 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported by private industry employers 

in 2018, unchanged from 2017, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. These data are 

estimates from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII). The incidence rate for total 

recordable cases (TRC) in private industry also remained unchanged from a year ago. (See chart 1.) This 

is the first year since 2012 that the TRC rate did not decline. The incidence rates for days away from 

work (DAFW) cases and for days of job transfer and restriction only (DJTR) cases did not change from 

2017. (See chart 2.)

 

Other highlights from the 2018 data: 

 Retail trade was the only private industry sector where the TRC rate increased in 2018, rising 

from 3.3 cases to 3.5 cases per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers. (See table 1.) This was 

the first increase in the TRC rate in retail trade since the series began in 2003. Retail trade 

accounted for 14 percent of all injuries and illnesses in private industry in 2018. (See table 2.) 

 Within private industry, there were 900,380 injuries or illnesses that caused a worker to miss at 

least one day of work in 2018, essentially unchanged from 2017. 

 Results from the 2018 SOII contain the first national estimates for emergency room (ER) and 

hospital visits for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses requiring DAFW. Estimates 

include case and demographic data elements such as industry, event, and occupation. 

 A total of 333,830 DAFW cases resulted in a visit to a medical facility such as an emergency 

room or in-patient hospital. Additional detail on these case types are available on page 3.

Nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses data by industry and case type are available at 

www.bls.gov/web/osh/summ1_00.htm and www.bls.gov/web/osh/summ2_00.htm.

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Days Away From Work Days of Job Transfer or Restriction Only

Incidence rate per 100 FTE workers

Incidence rate per 100 FTE workers
2 

Chart 3. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries 

and illnesses involving days away from work in the 

private retail trade sector by selected events, 2017-18

Chart 4. Incidence rates for all private industry 

and the retail trade sector by selected events for 

cases involving days away from work, 2018

Retail trade sector injury and illness cases 

Both the number and rate of nonfatal cases in the private retail trade sector increased in 2018. The 

number increased 4 percent to 409,900 cases, and the incidence rate increased from 3.3 cases to 3.5 

cases per 100 FTE workers. Within the retail trade sector, general merchandise stores reported 96,000 

injury or illness cases; food and beverage stores reported 92,600 cases; motor vehicle and parts dealers 

reported 61,500 cases; and building material and garden supply stores reported 53,800 cases. 

Of the 126,850 cases involving days away from work in retail trade in 2018, those resulting from falls, 

slips, or trips increased to 34,190 cases, an increase of 11 percent from 2017. Cases resulting from 

contact with objects and equipment increased 10 percent in 2018 to 38,940 cases. These events had a 

higher rate for workers in the retail trade sector than for workers in private industry in 2018. (See charts 

3 and 4.) 

 

Injuries and illnesses in retail trade most often resulted from sprains, strains, and tears, which accounted 

for 45,340, or 36 percent, of the DAFW cases in 2018. The DAFW incidence rate for sprains, strains, 

and tears was 38.4 cases per 10,000 FTE workers, essentially the same as in 2017. (See tables 3 and 4.) 

Seventeen percent, or 21,320, of DAFW cases reported in retail trade were the result of injuries to the 

back. 

Within retail trade, 15 occupations had at least 1,000 DAFW cases in 2018. Injuries and illnesses to 

retail salespersons accounted for 20 percent of the DAFW cases in retail trade, increasing from 23,240 in 

2017 to 25,600 in 2018. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers accounted for another 13 percent 

(15,940) of DAFW cases in retail trade in 2018, an increase of 25 percent from 2017. (See chart 5.) 

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

Contact with objects

and equipment

Falls, slips, trips

2017 2018

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

Contact with objects and

equipment

Falls, slips, trips

Private sector Retail trade

Incidence rate per 10,000 FTE workers
3 

Chart 5. Occupations with at least 1,000 cases involving days away from work in the private retail trade sector, 2018 

Emergency room and hospital visits 

This is the first year estimates for medical treatment facility visits for nonfatal occupational injuries and 

illnesses requiring DAFW are available. Medical treatment facilities, based on definitions from the 

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), include facilities designated as an emergency 

room or an in-patient hospital facility. Urgent care facilities, health units (within an establishment), 

infirmaries, and clinics are not considered an emergency room. The SOII categorizes medical treatment 

facility visits in the following way: 

1. Any medical treatment facility visit (emergency room visit and/or in-patient hospitalization) 

2. Emergency room visits only (excluding in-patient hospitalizations) 

3. All in-patient hospitalizations (with or without emergency room visits) 

Of the 900,380 DAFW cases in private industry, 333,830 (37 percent) required a visit to a medical 

facility. Of these, 294,750 required a trip to the emergency room and did not require hospitalization, and 

39,080 cases required in-patient hospitalization, either with or without an ER visit. The median number 

of days away from work for all private industry cases in 2018 was 8 days. The median number of days 

away from work for ER visits only was 7 days and the median for in-patient hospitalization was 41 days. 

For more information about these data, go to www.bls.gov/iif/soii-data.htm.

0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000

Cleaners of vehicles and equipment

Shipping, receiving, and traffic clerks

Customer service representatives

Heavy and tractor trailer truck drivers

Janitors and cleaners

Tire repairers and changers

Butchers and meat cutters

Light truck or delivery services drivers

Cashiers

Food preperation workers

Automotive service technicians and mechanics

Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers

Stock clerks

First-line supervisors of retail sales

Retail salespersons

Number of days away from work cases
4 

Additional Information 

This news release is the first of two releases from BLS covering occupational safety and health statistics 

for the 2018 calendar year. The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) presents estimates 

of counts and incidence rates of employer-reported nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses by industry 

and type of case, as well as detailed estimates of case circumstances and worker characteristics for cases 

that resulted in days away from work. A second release on December 17, 2019, will provide results from 

the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) of all fatal work injuries occurring in the U.S. during 

the calendar year. 

BLS has generated estimates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses for many industries as 

defined in the 2012 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) manual. Tables including 

cross-tabulations for various case circumstances and worker characteristics are available at 

www.bls.gov/web/osh.supp.toc.htm. For additional information on nonfatal injury and illness estimates, 

see www.bls.gov/iif/soii-overview.htm. 

The SOII bases definitions for emergency room and hospital visits on the OSHA Regulations 

(Standards-29 CFR 1904.39). More information is available at www.osha.gov/lawsregs/regulations/standardnumber/1904/1904.39.

All statements of comparison made in this news release are statistically significant at the 95 percent 

confidence level. Data quality research on the SOII is located at www.bls.gov/iif/data-quality.htm.

Additional background and methodological information regarding the BLS occupational safety and 

health statistics program is located in the BLS Handbook of Methods at 

www.bls.gov/opub/hom/soii/home.htm. 

Additional data from the SOII are available on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/iif/, from BLS staff at 

(202) 691-6170, or by email at IIFSTAFF@bls.gov. Information in this release is available to sensory 

impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-

8339. 
5

2017 2018 2017 2018

Private industry(4) 2.8 2.8 0.9 0.9

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting(4) 5.0 5.3 1.7 1.7

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction(5) 1.5 1.4 0.7 0.6

Construction 3.1 3.0 1.2 1.2

Manufacturing 3.5 3.4 0.9 0.9

Wholesale trade 2.8 2.9 1.0 1.0

Retail trade 3.3 3.5 1.0 1.1

Transportation and warehousing(6) 4.6 4.5 2.0 2.1

Utilities 2.0 1.9 0.7 0.7

Information 1.3 1.3 0.6 0.6

Finance and insurance 0.5 0.5 0.1 0.1

Real estate and rental and leasing 2.4 2.3 1.0 0.8

Professional, scientific, and technical services 0.8 0.8 0.2 0.2

Management of companies and enterprises 0.9 0.8 0.2 0.2

Administrative and support and waste management and 

remediation services 2.2 2.3 0.9 0.9

Educational services 1.9 1.9 0.5 0.6

Health care and social assistance 4.1 3.9 1.1 1.1

Arts, entertainment, and recreation 4.2 4.1 1.2 1.1

Accommodation and food services 3.2 3.1 0.9 0.9

Other services (except public administration) 2.1 2.2 0.7 0.8

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, in cooperation 

with participating state agencies.

Total recordable 

cases(2)

Cases with days away 

from work(2),(3)

TABLE 1. Incidence rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by selected industry and case types, 

private industry, 2017-18

Footnotes:

(2) 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)

(1) North American Industry Classification System United States, 2012.

(3) Days-away-from-work cases include those that result in days away from work with or without job transfer or 

restriction.

(4) Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees.

(5) Data for Mining (Sector 21 in the North American Industry Classification System United States, 2012) include 

establishments not governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration rules and reporting, such as those in Oil and 

Gas Extraction and related support activities. 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 the Occupational 

Safety and Health Administration made to its recordkeeping requirements effective January 1, 2002 therefore, estimates 

for these industries are not comparable to estimates in other industries.

(6) Data for employers in rail transportation are provided to BLS by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department 

of Transportation.

Industry(1)
6

2017 2018 2017 2018

Private industry(3) 2,811.5 2,834.5 882.7 900.4

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting(3) 50.2 54.4 17.0 17.4

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction(4) 10.2 9.8 4.8 4.1

Construction 198.1 199.1 79.8 77.5

Manufacturing 428.9 430.3 115.6 118.6

Wholesale trade 157.9 160.8 56.7 56.2

Retail trade 395.7 409.9 120.0 126.9

Transportation and warehousing(5) 215.7 221.4 96.1 103.6

Utilities 11.2 10.6 3.9 3.6

Information 33.7 33.3 14.8 15.6

Finance and insurance 27.5 28.5 8.1 7.1

Real estate and rental and leasing 46.6 46.1 18.4 16.0

Professional, scientific, and technical services 69.6 70.5 18.5 16.3

Management of companies and enterprises 20.6 17.5 5.3 4.7

Administrative and support and waste management and 

remediation services 116.9 118.6 44.5 46.5

Educational services 38.5 36.9 10.2 11.6

Health care and social assistance 582.8 577.4 152.3 155.6

Arts, entertainment, and recreation 58.9 57.9 17.3 16.0

Accommodation and food services 282.6 278.5 75.8 77.8

Other services (except public administration) 66.0 72.8 23.7 25.5

TABLE 2. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by selected industry and case types, private 

industry, 2017-18 (thousands)

Total recordable cases Cases with days away 

from work(2)

Footnotes:

Industry(1)

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, in cooperation 

with participating state agencies.

(1) North American Industry Classification System United States, 2012.

(2) Days-away-from-work cases include those that result in days away from work with or without job transfer or 

restriction.

(3) Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees.

(4) Data for Mining (Sector 21 in the North American Industry Classification System United States, 2012) include 

establishments not governed by the Mine Safety and Health Administration rules and reporting, such as those in Oil and 

Gas Extraction and related support activities. 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 the Occupational 

Safety and Health Administration made to its recordkeeping requirements effective January 1, 2002 therefore, estimates 

for these industries are not comparable to estimates in other industries.

(5) Data for employers in rail transportation are provided to BLS by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department 

of Transportation.
7

2017 2018 2017 2018

Total(2),(3) 89.4 89.7 101.4 107.6

Nature of injury or illness(4)

Sprains, strains, tears 31.5 30.7 40.5 38.4

Soreness, pain 14.5 15.9 13.3 16.1

Bruises, contusions 8.0 7.9 11.8 14.1

Cuts, lacerations, punctures 7.4 9.2 9.8 12.0

Fractures 8.5 7.9 7.8 8.4

Event or exposure(4)

Overexertion and bodily reaction 30.0 28.2 36.9 36.3

Contact with objects and equipment 23.2 23.5 29.8 33.0

Falls, slips, trips 23.1 23.9 26.0 29.0

Transportation incidents 4.9 5.0 3.3 3.3

Violence and other injuries by persons or animal 4.0 4.4 1.8 2.1

TABLE 3. Incidence rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by 

selected nature of injury or illness and event or exposure, private industry and private retail trade sector, 

2017-18

(2) The 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)

(4) Based on the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System 2.01 developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, in 

cooperation with participating state agencies.

Private industry Retail trade(1)

Footnotes:

(1) North American Industry Classification System United States, 2012.

Characteristic

(3) Days-away-from-work cases include those that result in days away from work with or without job transfer or 

restriction.
8

2017 2018 2017 2018

Total(2) 882,730 900,380 120,040 126,850

Nature of injury or illness(3)

Sprains, strains, tears 311,330 308,630 47,930 45,340

Soreness, pain 143,260 159,600 15,720 18,990

Bruises, contusions 79,180 79,250 13,950 16,610

Cuts, lacerations, punctures 89,180 92,840 13,300 14,140

Fractures 83,550 79,470 9,180 9,930

Event or exposure(3)

Overexertion and bodily reaction 295,830 282,860 43,660 42,790

Contact with objects and equipment 229,170 235,740 35,260 38,940

Falls, slips, trips 227,760 240,160 30,830 34,190

Transportation incidents 47,910 50,650 3,930 3,920

Violence and other injuries by persons or animal 39,750 44,000 2,160 2,490

TABLE 4. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by selected 

nature of injury or illness and event or exposure, private industry and private retail trade sector, 2017-18

(3) Based on the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System 2.01 developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, in cooperation 

with participating state agencies.

Footnotes:

(1) North American Industry Classification System United States, 2012.

Characteristic

Private industry Retail trade(1)

(2) Days-away-from-work cases include those that result in days away from work with or without job transfer or 

restriction.