Issues

Occupational Stress

U.S. Department of Labor

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Summary 99-10 September 1999

in Labor Statistics

Percent of occupational stress and all nonfatal occupational injury and illness cases

involving days away from work, 1997

Percent

Occupational stress

1-5 6-10 11-20 21-30 31 or more

Days away from work

All injuries and illnesses

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

“

I’m stressed out.” The reality may be that

the worker saying this is, in fact, experiencing an occupational illness. Many employees undergo stress as a normal part of their

jobs, but some experience it more severely than

others, to the point that they need time away

from work. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’

Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses

classifies occupational stress as “neurotic reaction to stress.” There were 3,418 such illness cases in 1997. The median absence from

work for these cases was 23 days, more than

four times the level of all nonfatal occupational

injuries and illnesses. And more than two-fifths

of the cases resulted in 31 or more lost workdays, compared to one-fifth for all injury and

illness cases. (See chart.)

Case counts

The 1997 estimate of 3,418 cases of occupational stress is the lowest since 1992, when BLS

first began collecting these data. The decline

is consistent with the trend for all nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days

away from work. Occupational stress cases

declined by 15 percent over the 1992-97 period, whereas all injuries and illnesses declined

by 21 percent.

Industry. Finance, insurance and real estate,

with 12 percent of the cases, and services, with

35 percent, had higher proportions of occupational stress cases than they did of all occupational injury and illness cases involving days

away from work, 2 and 23 percent, respectively.

The proportion of occupational stress disorders was lower in all other industries than comparable proportions of all injuries and illnesses.

Four industries accounted for the bulk of occupational stress cases: Services (35 percent),

manufacturing (21 percent), retail trade (14

percent), and finance, insurance, and real estate (12 percent).

Occupation. White-collar occupations had a

higher proportion of stress cases than both

blue-collar and service occupations combined

(see table). Managerial and professional occupations, with 16 percent of the cases, and technical, sales, and administrative support occupations with 48 percent, had higher proportions

of occupational stress cases than they did of

all occupational injury and illness cases involving days away from work, 5 and 15 percent,

respectively. Three occupations accounted for

almost 80 percent of all cases of occupational

stress: The two white-collar occupations just

mentioned and operators, fabricators, and laborers. Occupations most often leading to occupational stress disorders include bookkeepers, accounting, and auditing clerks—5 percent; supervisors and proprietors, sales occupations—4 percent; investigators and adjusters, excluding insurance—4 percent; cooks—

4 percent; and production occupation supervisors—4 percent. (See table.)

Sex. For every case of occupational stress involving a male, 1.6 cases involved a female.

The opposite was true for all occupational injuries and illnesses: For each case involving a

female, two cases involved a male.

Incidence rates

Industry. The nonfatal occupational injury and

illness incidence rate for occupational stress

cases was less than 1 case per 10,000 full-time

workers in each of the major industry divisions

in 1997, the lowest since BLS began collecting such data in 1992. The incidence rate for

occupational stress in finance, insurance, and

real estate (FIRE) in 1997, was the lowest in 6

years, and for the first time since 1992, did not

significantly exceed the rates for all other industry divisions. In contrast, for all injuries and

illnesses, the rate of 67.4 in FIRE was the lowest among the major industry divisions, and

less than one-third of the total private industry

rate.

Relative risk by occupation. The risk of injury or illness faced by employees in individual

occupational groups compared to the risk faced

by all occupations combined is called relative

risk. When constructing an index for such a

risk faced by all occupations combined, the

index is equal to 1. In 1997, the index for occupational stress ranged from 0.6 for managerial and professional occupations to 1.6 for

technical, sales, and administrative support occupations.

The relative risk for occupational stress

exceeded the relative risk for all injuries and

illnesses for white-collar jobs. Among bluecollar and service jobs the reverse was true:

relative risk for occupational stress was lower

than the risk for all injuries and illnesses.

Additional information

For more information about the data presented

here, contact Timothy Webster or Bruce
 Total cases ................................................... 1,833,400 3,418 Total cases .......................................... 1,833,400 3,418

Industry, total ...................................................... 100 100 Occupation, total—Continued ........................... 100 100

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing1 .................. 2 -

Mining ......................................................... 1 - Sales representatives, mining

Construction ................................................. 10 - manufacturing, wholesale .................. (3

) 3

Manufacturing .............................................. 24 21 Insurance adjusters, examiners,

Transportation and public utilities ................. 12 9 and investigators ................................ (3

) 3

Wholesale trade ........................................... 8 7 General office clerks ............................. 1 3

Retail trade ................................................... 17 14 Service ....................................................... 17 11

Finance, insurance, and real estate ............. 2 12 Cooks ................................................... 2 4

Services ....................................................... 23 35 Guards and police, except public .......... 1 3

......................................................... Blue collar ................................................... 62 24

Occupation, total ................................................ 100 100 Farming, forestry, and fishing ................ 3 -

White collar .................................................. 20 64 Precision production, craft,

Managerial and professional .................. 5 16 and repair .......................................... 17 9

Technical, sales, and Operators, fabricators, and

 administrative support ......................... 15 48 laborers .............................................. 42 15

Bookkeepers, accounting, Supervisors, production

 and auditing clerks ........................ (3

) 5 occupations ................................. 1 4

Supervisors and proprietors, Assemblers .................................... 2 3

 sales occupations ......................... 2 4

Investigators and adjusters, Sex, total ..................................................... 100 100

 excluding insurance ...................... (3

) 4 Men ....................................................... 66 39

......................................................... Women ................................................. 33 61

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Address Service Requested

Bergman in the Office of Safety, Health and

Working Conditions, Bureau of Labor Statistics at (202) 606-6179, or by e-mail at

Webster_T@bls.gov or Bergman_B@bls.gov.

Occupational injury and illness data are also available at http://stats.bls.gov/oshhome.htm, the

BLS Internet site. Material in this summary is in

the public domain and may be reproduced without permission. Appropriate credit is requested. This information is available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice

phone: (202) 606-7828; Federal Relay Service:

1-800-877-8339.

Percent distribution of all nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses and neurotic reaction to stress cases involving

days away from work, selected characteristics, 1997

Characteristic Characteristic All injuries

and illnesses

All injuries

and illnesses

Neurotic

reaction

to stress

Neurotic

reaction

to stress

2.

2.

1

1

 Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees.

2

 Data conforming to Occupational Safety and Health Administration definitions for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal mining and for employees in railroad transportation are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety and

Health Administration; and the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Independent mining contractors are excluded from

the coal, metal, and mining industries. 3

 Less than 1 percent.

NOTE: Dashes indicate data do not meet publication cirteria.

1