Employers also reported the number of missed workdays due to each injury or illness. Information provided on the physical characteristics of the disabling condition was used by survey coders to identify the nature of the injury or illness, while information on how the incident occurred enabled coders to classify the event and exposure leading to a lost-worktime injury or illness. The four severe injuries and illnesses profiled in this article are described in detail in the 1992 BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Manual. Carpal tunnel syndrome results from a compression of the median nerve where it passes through tbe wrist. Amputations include traumatic loss of limb or other external body part resulting in bone loss.
Fractures are traumatic injuries resulting in broken bones or teeth.
The 1990 Occupational Classification System, developed the Census Bureau, was used to determine the appropriate occupational category. The system, for example, places the job title laborer into the occupation construction laborer when construction is reported as the industry of the injured worker.