U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS COMPENSATION AND WORKING CONDITIONS

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Nonfatal Occupational Injuries Involving the Eyes, 2002

by Patrick M. Harris

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Originally Posted: June 30, 2004

In 2002, there were 42,286 occupational injuries or illnesses involving the eye that resulted in days away from work. The

typical eye injuries occurred by rubbed or abraded foreign matter, such as metal chips, dirt particles, and splinters, or by

striking the eye; surface wounds, such as abrasions, scratches, and foreign bodies (splinters and chips) were among the

most common types of injuries to the eyes.

Potential eye hazards can be found in nearly every industry. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

standards require that employers provide workers with suitable eye protection. To be effective in preventing injury, the

eyewear must be of the appropriate type for the hazard encountered, and it must be properly fitted.

This report examines data from the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) and profiles work-related

injuries involving the eye or eyes. A total of about 4.7 million injuries and illnesses were reported in private industry

workplaces during 2002, a rate of 5.3 per 100 equivalent full-time workers. Among the 1.4 million injuries involving at least

one day away from work, more than 90,000 were head injuries classified into the following areas: cranial region including

skull; ears; face; multiple head locations; head, unspecified; and head, other. (See table 1.) Two-thirds of all head injuries

occurred to the face. Injuries to the face are further classified into the following areas: face, unspecified; forehead; eyes; nose

or nasal cavity; cheeks; jaw or chin; mouth; multiple face locations; and face, other. There were 42,286 eye injuries in 2002,

accounting for 70 percent of face injuries and nearly 47 percent of all head injuries requiring days away from work. (See table

2.)

Demographics And Major Industry Division

Although men were nearly twice as likely as women to experience an occupational injury or illness requiring days away from

work in 2002, men made up an even greater proportion of the eye injury cases: 81 percent. The majority of the eye injury

cases occurred among workers aged 25 to 34 years and 35 to 44 years. These two age groups combined accounted for

nearly 62 percent of all eye injuries. (See table 3.)

Nearly 52 percent of all eye injury cases occurred in manufacturing or trade (wholesale and retail). Another 20 percent

occurred in the services industry, and 15 percent occurred in construction. In the remaining four industry divisions, a little

more than 8 percent occurred in transportation and public utilities, and less than 4 percent occurred in each of the other three

industries. (See table 4.)

Days Away From Work

Compared with injuries to other parts of the body, a relatively large proportion of eye injuries required only one day away from

work. The median for eye injury cases resulting in days away from work was 2 days, 5 days less than the median for all

cases. (See table 5.)

Occupation

Among specific occupations, eight had at least 1,000 eye injuries in 2002. These occupations accounted for 34 percent

(14,397 eye injuries) of all occupational eye injury cases in private industry. With 3,447 cases, nonconstruction laborers

incurred the most eye injuries, followed by welders and cutters and truck drivers. (See table 6.) Turning to broader

occupational groups, two categories--operators, fabricators, and laborers; and precision production, craft, and repair

occupations--accounted for nearly three-fourths of eye injuries among private industry workers. (See table 7.) Workers in

these occupational groups tend to experience injuries from flying objects, chemicals, harmful radiation, or a combination of

these or other hazards.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS COMPENSATION AND WORKING CONDITIONS

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Characteristics Of The Injuries

There were 42,286 eye accidents reported in private industry in 2002, and the most prevalent (38 percent) type of event

involved the eye or eyes being rubbed or abraded by foreign matter. Overall, the top five events and exposures combined for

a total of 30,182 injuries, or 71 percent of the total. Somewhat surprisingly, falls, fires and explosions, and assaults and

violent acts were not among the most prevalent events or exposures involving eye injuries and illnesses. (See table 8.)

The principal source of head and eye injuries was the category scrap, waste, and debris. With 20,970 eye injuries, this

category accounted for close to 50 percent of all such nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from

work. In addition, among the seven specific sources accounting for 1,000 or more eye injuries, six were classified as scrap,

waste, and debris. (See table 9.)

The number of eye injuries can be related to the occupations in which they occur. A large number of the injuries to the eyes

occurred in the eight occupations that had 1,000 or more injuries, and dirt, scrap and flying objects are a greater risk in these

occupations. Examples include nonconstruction laborers, welders, and assemblers, all of which face a higher risk of

encountering the leading sources of eye injuries.

Nearly 87 percent of the 42,286 nonfatal eye injury cases were related to traumatic injuries and disorders. A traumatic injury

is the result of a single incident, event, or exposure. The most common injuries to the eye were surface wounds--more

specifically, injuries involving foreign bodies such as splinters or chips--with 15,558 cases. Abrasions and chemical burns

were second. The five natures of injuries with the most cases accounted for 78 percent of eye injuries. (See table 10.)

Conclusion

BLS data on occupational injuries and illnesses show that, in 2002, eye injuries accounted for 47 percent of all head injuries

involving days away from work and 70 percent of all face injuries involving days away from work. The data also indicate that

men aged 25 to 44 were more likely to experience an eye injury than were women in the same age group. Workers in the

manufacturing and trade industries and those in the occupational group operators, fabricators, and laborers and in precision,

production, craft, and repair occupations were most at risk of incurring an eye injury.

Patrick M. Harris

Economist, Office of Safety, Health, and Working Conditions, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Telephone: (202) 691-6191; E-mail: Harris.Patrick@bls.gov

Table 1. Number of nonfatal occupational head injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by part of the

head, 2002

Characteristics Number of cases Percent of cases

Head 90,228 100.0

Head, unspecified 16,300 18.1

Cranial region, including skull 10,729 11.9

Ears 1,718 1.9

Face 60,064 66.6

Multiple head locations 1,208 1.3

Head, other 209 (1)

Footnote:

(1) Less than 0.5 percent.

NOTE: Due to rounding, components do not add to exactly 100 percent.
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Table 2. Number of nonfatal occupational facial injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by part of the

face, 2002

Characteristics Number of cases Percent of cases

Face 60,064 100.0

Eyes 42,286 70.4

Face, unspecified 4,445 7.4

Forehead 3,887 6.5

Nose, nasal cavity 3,031 5.0

Multiple face locations 2,430 4.0

Mouth 2,072 3.4

Jaw or chin 906 1.5

Cheek(s) 736 1.2

Face, other 272 0.5

NOTE: Due to rounding, components do not add to exactly 100 percent.

Table 3. Nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (total and those to the eye) by sex,

age, and race or ethnic origin, 2002

Characteristics All injuries and illnesses Injuries to the eyes

Number Percent Number Percent

Total: 1,436,194 100.0 42,286 100.0

Sex:

Men 930,925 64.8 34,260 81.0

Women 500,592 34.9 7,931 18.8

Age:

Under 14 - - - - 14 to 15 198 (1) - - 16 to 19 38,387 2.7 1,348 3.2

20 to 24 159,229 11.1 6,339 15.0

25 to 34 358,377 25.0 13,456 31.8

35 to 44 400,871 27.9 12,702 30.0

45 to 54 304,970 21.2 5,924 14.0

55 to 64 143,523 10.0 2,069 4.9

65 and over 25,103 1.7 207 0.5

Race or ethnic origin:

White, non-Hispanic 688,009 47.9 20,821 49.2

Black, non-Hispanic 114,453 8.0 3,253 7.7

Hispanic 180,419 12.6 6,722 15.9

Asian or Pacific Islander 22,099 1.5 612 1.4

Footnote:

(1) Less than 0.5 percent.

NOTE: Due to rounding, the components under "Sex," "Age," and "Race or ethnic origin" may not add to exactly 100 percent. Dashes indicate

that no data were available.
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Characteristics All injuries and illnesses Injuries to the eyes

Number Percent Number Percent

American Indian or Alaskan Native 8,225 0.6 237 0.6

Not reported 422,989 29.5 10,641 25.2

Footnote:

(1) Less than 0.5 percent.

NOTE: Due to rounding, the components under "Sex," "Age," and "Race or ethnic origin" may not add to exactly 100 percent. Dashes indicate

that no data were available.

Table 4. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses to the eye involving days away from work by major

industry division, 2002

Major industry division Number of eye injuries Percent of eye injuries

Total 42,286 100.0

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing 1,556 3.7

Mining 274 0.6

Construction 6,281 14.9

Manufacturing 12,420 29.4

Transportation and public utilities 3,536 8.4

Wholesale and retail trade 9,353 22.1

Finance, insurance, and real estate 465 1.1

Services 8,401 19.9

Note: Due to rounding, components do not add to exactly 100 percent.

Table 5. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (total and those to the

eye) by number of and median days away from work, 2002

Characteristics All parts Percent of days-away-from-work cases

involving all parts Eyes Percent of days-away-from-work casesinvolving eyes

Total 1,436,194 100.0 42,286 100.0

Cases involving 1

day 214,923 15.0 18,413 43.5

Cases involving 2

days 161,426 11.2 9,540 22.6

Cases involving 3 to

5 days 266,511 18.6 8,158 19.3

Cases involving 6 to

10 days 178,778 12.4 3,318 7.8

Cases involving 11

to 20 days 158,609 11.0 1,035 2.4

Cases involving 21

to 30 days 95,886 6.7 591 1.4

Cases involving 31

or more days 360,061 25.1 1,233 2.9

Note: Due to rounding, components may not add to exactly 100 percent. Dashes indicate "not applicable."
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Characteristics All parts Percent of days-away-from-work cases

involving all parts Eyes Percent of days-away-from-workcases involving eyes

Median days away

from work 7 – 2 – Note: Due to rounding, components may not add to exactly 100 percent. Dashes indicate "not applicable."

Table 6. Occupations with at least 1,000 nonfatal eye injuries involving days away from work, 2002

Occupation Number of eye injuries Percent of eye injuries

Total 42,286 100.0

Laborers, nonconstruction 3,447 8.1

Welders and cutters 2,551 6.0

Truckdrivers 1,695 4.0

Miscellaneous machine operators, n.e.c. 1,421 3.4

Construction laborers 1,374 3.2

Assemblers 1,371 3.2

Janitors and cleaners 1,347 3.2

Mechanics, automobiles 1,191 2.8

Note: Components do not add to 100 percent because only occupations with 1,000 or more eye injuries are shown. The abbreviation "n.e.c."

stands for "not elsewhere classified."

Table 7. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (total and those to the

eye) by occupational group, 2002

Occupational groups All parts Eyes Percent of eye injuries

Managerial and professional specialty 92,967 997 2.4

Technical, sales, and administrative support 239,364 5,327 12.6

Service 270,251 4,775 11.3

Farming, forestry, and fishing 35,629 1,460 3.5

Precision production, craft, and repair 242,787 10,497 24.8

Operators, fabricators, and laborers 552,886 19,136 45.3

Table 8. Top five events and exposures for nonfatal occupational eye injuries involving days away from work, 2002

Events and exposures Number of eye injuries Percent of eye injuries

Total 42,286 100.0

Rubbed or abraded by foreign matter in eye 16,158 38.2

Contact with skin or other exposed tissue 5,651 13.4

Struck by dislodged flying object, particle 4,111 9.7

Exposure to welding light 2,159 5.1

Struck by object, unspecified 2,103 5.0

NOTE: Components do not add to 100 percent because only the top five events and exposures are shown in this tabulation.
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Table 9. Souce of injury to the eye with 1,000 or more nonfatal occupational injuries involving days away from work,

2002

Source of eye injuries Number of eye injuries Percent of eye injuries

Total 42,286 100.0

Scrap, waste, and debris 20,970 49.5

Metal chips, particles 6,939 16.4

Chips, particles, splinters, unspecified 5,174 12.2

Scrap, waste, debris, unspecified 2,263 5.4

Dirt particles 2,023 4.8

Chips, particles, splinters, n.e.c. 1,709 4.0

Wood chips, sawdust 1,509 3.6

Welding torches 1,236 2.9

NOTE: Components do not add to 100 percent because only sources with 1,000 or more eye injuries are included in this tabulation. The

abbreviation "n.e.c." stands for "not elsewhere classified."

Table 10. Top five natures of nonfatal occupational eye injuries involving days away from work, 2002

Nature of eye injuries Number of eye injuries Percent of eye injuries

Total 42,286 100.0

Foreign bodies (superficial splinters, chips) 15,558 36.8

Abrasions, scratches 7,365 17.4

Chemical burns 4,811 11.4

Cuts, lacerations 3,072 7.3

Welders flash 2,117 5.0

NOTE: Components do not add to 100 percent because only the top five categories are shown in this tabulation.

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