1995 Workplace Injuries and Illnesses — 1997-03-12

The incidence of nonfatal work-related injuries and illnesses fell in 1995 to the lowest rate in nearly a decade according to a survey of private industry by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. A total of 6.6 million injuries and illnesses were reported during 1995, resulting in a rate of 8.1 cases for every 100 equivalent full-time workers. The rate was the lowest since 1986 and declined for three years in a row for the first time since the early 1980s. (See tables 1 and 4.) The following tabulation on incidence rates for injuries and illnesses shows the decline in rates per 100 full-time workers from 1992, the highest rate since 1979, to 1995: Among goods-producing industries, manufacturing had the highest incidence rate in 1995 (11.6 cases per 100 full-time workers), followed by construction (10.6 cases per 100 full-time workers).