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

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Nonfatal Occupational Injuries Involving the Eyes, 2004

by Patrick M. Harris

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Originally Posted: August 30, 2006

In 2004, there were 36,680 nonfatal occupational injuries or illnesses involving the eye that resulted in days away from work.

The typical eye injury resulted from the eye being rubbed or abraded by foreign matter, such as metal chips, dirt particles,

and splinters, or by these types of items striking the eye. These injury events resulted commonly in surface wounds, such as

abrasions, scratches, and embedded foreign bodies (splinters and chips).

Potential eye hazards are 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 article examines data from the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) and profiles work-related

injuries involving the eye or eyes. Approximately 4.3 million injuries and illnesses were reported in private industry

workplaces during 2004, a rate of 4.8 per 100 equivalent full-time workers. Among the 1.3 million injuries involving at least

one day away from work, more than 80,000 were head injuries classified into the following areas: cranial region, including

skull; ears; face; multiple head locations; and other or unspecified areas of the head. (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. About

the same number of eye injury cases were reported in 2004 as in the previous year. There were 36,680 eye injuries in 2004,

accounting for 69 percent of face injuries and nearly 45 percent of all head injuries requiring days away from work. (See table

2.)

Demographics And Major Industry Division

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

work in 2004, men made up an even greater proportion (80 percent) of the eye injury cases. 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 55 percent of all eye injuries. (See table 3.)

Nearly 61 percent of all eye injury cases occurred in manufacturing, construction, or trade (wholesale and retail). Educational

and health services; transportation and public utilities; and professional business services accounted for another 24 percent.

The remaining six industry divisions accounted for the remaining 15 percent. (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 number of days away from work for eye injury cases was 2 days, 5 days fewer than the median for all

cases. (See table 5.)

Occupation

Among specific occupations, nine had at least 1,000 eye injuries in 2004. These occupations accounted for 37 percent

(13,680 eye injuries) of all occupational eye injury cases in private industry. With 2,240 cases, welders, cutters, solderers and

brazers incurred the most eye injuries, followed by construction laborers. (See table 6.)

Turning to broader occupational groups, four categories--production; installation, maintenance and repair; construction and

extractive; and service occupations--accounted for nearly three-fourths of eye injuries among private industry workers. (See 
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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.

Characteristics Of The Injuries

There were 36,680 eye accidents reported in private industry in 2004. The most prevalent (nearly 36 percent) type of event

involved the eye or eyes being rubbed or abraded by foreign matter. 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 18,950 eye injuries, this

category accounted for close to 52 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.)

More than a third of the eye injuries occurred among nine occupations--each with more than 1,000 eye injuries--which are

commonly exposed to dirt, scrap, and flying objects. Examples include laborers, welders, and assemblers, all of whom face a

higher risk of encountering the leading sources of eye injuries.

Nearly 89 percent of the 36,680 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 (14,070 cases) were surface

wounds--more specifically, injuries involving foreign bodies such as splinters or chips. Abrasions and scratches were the

second leading cause of eye injuries.

The five natures of injuries with the most cases accounted for 75 percent of eye injuries. (See table 10.) Welder's flash, a

common injury that often leads to loss of vision, accounted for nearly half of all systemic diseases and disorders (those that

occur over time). Welder’s flash accounts for another 5 percent of all natures with 1,870 injuries.

Conclusion

BLS data on occupational injuries and illnesses show that in 2004, the number of eye injury cases was about unchanged

from 2003. Eye injuries accounted for 45 percent of all head injuries involving days away from work and 69 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, construction, and trade industries; and those

in production; installation, maintenance and repair; construction and extractive; and service occupations were most at risk of

incurring an eye injury.

Additional Resources

For additional information about eye safety at work and eye injury prevention, see the National Institute for Occupational

Safety and Health (NIOSH) "Eye Safety" webpage at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/eye/; see also the National Institutes of

Health "Healthy Vision 2010" webpage at http://www.healthyvision2010.org/. 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.
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Table 1. Number of nonfatal occupational head injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by part of the

head, 2004

Characteristics Number of cases Percent of cases

Head 81,530 100.0

Head, unspecified 16,300 20

Cranial region, including skull 9,600 11.8

Ears 1,030 1.3

Face 52,780 64.7

Multiple head locations 1,690 2.1

Head, other 130 (1)

Footnotes:

(1) Less than 0.5 percent

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

Table 2. Number of nonfatal occupational facial injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by part of the

face, 2004

Characteristics Number of cases Percent of cases

Face 52,780 100.0

Eyes 36,680 69.5

Face, unspecified 4,070 7.7

Forehead 3,130 5.9

Nose, nasal cavity 2,380 4.5

Multiple face locations 2,490 4.7

Mouth 1,950 3.7

Jaw or chin 1060 2.0

Cheek(s) 850 1.6

Face, n.e.c. 180 (1)

Footnotes:

(1) Less than 0.5 percent.

NOTE: Due to rounding, components do not add to exactly 100 percent. The abbreviation "n.e.c." stands for "not elsewhere classified."
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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, 2004

Characteristics All injuries and illnesses Injuries to the eyes

Number Percent Number Percent

Total: 1,259,320 100.0 36,680 100.0

Sex:

Men 829,300 65.8 29,460 80.3

Women 425,470 33.8 7,140 19.5

Age:

Under 14 -- -- -- -- 14 to 15 200 (1) -- -- 16 to 19 38,230 3.0 1,100 3.0

20 to 24 141,730 11.3 5,860 16.0

25 to 34 303,880 24.1 10,400 28.4

35 to 44 331,610 26.3 9,660 26.3

45 to 54 272,250 21.6 5,760 15.7

55 to 64 128,810 10.2 2,730 7.4

65 and over 23,950 1.9 540 1.5

Race or ethnic origin:

White, non-Hispanic 591,570 47.0 18,290 49.8

Black, non-Hispanic 103,820 8.2 2,570 7.0

Hispanic 164,390 13.1 6,000 16.4

Asian or Pacific Islander 20,690 1.6 610 1.7

American Indian or Alaskan Native 5,140 (1) 320 0.9

Not reported 371,920 29.5 8,840 24.1

Footnotes:

(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. Incidence rates and number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses to the eye involving days away

from work by major industry division, 2004

Major industry division Number of eye injuries Percent of eye injuries

Total 36,680 100.0

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting 1,000 2.7

Mining 240 0.7

Construction 6,650 18.1

Manufacturing 9,720 26.5

Transportation and public utilities 3,010 8.2

Wholesale and retail trade 5,830 15.9

Information 390 1.1

Note: Due to rounding, components do not add to exactly 100 percent.
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Major industry division Number of eye injuries Percent of eye injuries

Financial activities 570 1.6

Professional business services 2,560 7.0

Educational and health services 3,350 9.1

Leisure and hospitality 2,030 5.5

Other services 1,340 3.7

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 and median days away from work, 2004

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

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

Total 1,259,320 100.0 36,680 100.0

Cases involving 1

day 180,500 14.3 15,790 43.0

Cases involving 2

days 144,480 11.5 8,050 21.9

Cases involving 3 to

5 days 231,350 18.4 7,390 20.1

Cases involving 6 to

10 days 159,250 12.6 2,410 6.6

Cases involving 11

to 20 days 143,560 11.4 1,280 3.5

Cases involving 21

to 30 days 85,620 6.8 710 1.9

Cases involving 31

or more days 314,570 25.0 1,040 2.8

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, 2004

Occupation Number of eye injuries Percent of eye injuries

Total 36,680 100.0

Welders, cutters, solderers and brazers 2,240 6.1

Construction laborers 2,130 5.8

Laborers, freight, stock and material movers 2,100 5.7

Production workers, all other 1,390 3.8

Carpenters 1,260 3.4

Janitors and cleaners 1,190 3.2

Automotive service technicians and mechanics 1,190 3.2

Maintenance and repair workers, general 1,170 3.2

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers 1,010 2.8

Note: Components do not add to 100 percent because only occupations with 1,000 or more eye injuries are shown.
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Table 7. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (total and those to the

eye) by occupational group, 2004

Occupational groups All parts Eyes Percent of eye injuries

Management, business, financial 29,410 240 0.7

Professional and related 85,660 1,360 3.7

Service 257,580 6,080 16.6

Sales and related 82,000 1,250 3.4

Office and administrative support 89,540 1,130 3.1

Farming, fishing, and forestry 17,510 700 1.9

Construction and extractive 144,050 6,120 16.7

Installation, maintenance, and repair 107,940 6,420 17.5

Production 186,600 8,800 24.0

Transportation and material moving 257,210 4,580 12.5

Table 8. Top five events and exposures for nonfatal occupational eye injuries involving days away from work, 2004

Events and exposures Number of eye injuries Percent of eye injuries

Total 36,680 100.0

Rubbed or abraded by foreign matter in eye 13,060 35.6

Struck by flying object 6,960 19.0

Contact with skin or other exposed tissue 5,070 13.8

Exposure to welding light 1,900 5.2

Struck by object, n.e.c. 1,380 3.8

NOTE: Components do not add to 100 percent because only the top five events and exposures are shown in this tabulation. The abbreviation

"n.e.c." stands for "not eslewhere classified".

Table 9. Source of injury to the eye with 1,000 or more nonfatal occupational injuries involving days away from work,

2004

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

Total 36,680 100.0

Scrap, waste, and debris 18,950 51.7

Metal chips, particles 6,130 16.7

Chips, particles, splinters, unspecified 4,240 11.6

Dirt particles 3,030 8.3

Wood chips, sawdust 1,790 4.9

Chips, particles, splinters, n.e.c. 1,540 4.2

Scrap, waste, debris, unspecified 1,450 4.0

Welding torches 1,210 3.3

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."
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Table 10. Top five natures of nonfatal occupational eye injuries involving days away from work, 2004

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

Total 36,680 100.0

Foreign bodies (superficial splinters, chips) 14,070 38.4

Abrasions, scratches 5,300 14.4

Chemical burns 3,680 10.0

Cuts, lacerations 2,430 6.6

Bruises, contusions 2,000 5.5

NOTE: Components do not add to 100 percent because only natures with 1,000 or more eye injuries are shown.

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