2000 Workplace Injuries and Illnesses — 2001-12-18

A total of 5.7 million injuries and illnesses were reported in private industry workplaces during 2000, resulting in a rate of 6.1 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Employers reported about the same number of cases compared with 1999 and a 2 percent increase in the hours worked, reducing the case rate from 6.3 in 1999 to 6.1 in 2000. The rate for 2000 was the lowest since the Bureau began reporting this information in the early 1970s. (See "Background of the Survey" section for a discussion of the factors that can influence rate changes from one survey to the next.) The following tabulation on incidence rates for injuries and illnesses shows the decline in rates per 100 full-time workers since 1995: Among goods-producing industries, manufacturing had the highest incidence rate in 2000 (9.0 cases per 100 full-time workers).