BLS said that the overall injury and illness incidence rate per 100 full-time workers for the goods-producing sector was 9.9, compared with 10.2 in 1996. In the service-producing sector, the incidence rate was 5.9 in 1997, compared with 6.2 in 1996.

Of the goods-producing sector, manufacturing had the highest incidence rate at 10.3, although that was a decrease compared with the 10.6 rate in 1996.

Injury and illness incidence rates for 1997 in other primary industries were: 9.5 in construction; 8.4 in agriculture, forestry and fishing; 8.2 in transportation and public utilities; 6.7 in wholesale and retail trade; 5.9 in mining; 5.6 in services; and 2.2 in finance, insurance and real estate.

Of the 6.1 million injuries and illnesses in 1997, nearly 2.9 million were lost workday cases requiring recuperation away from work or restricted duties at work or both. Of lost workday cases, more than 1.8 million were the most serious, requiring days away from work.

The overall lost-workday incidence rate declined slightly in 1997. The incidence rate per 100 full-time workers for injuries and illnesses requiring lost workdays was 3.3 in 1997, compared with 3.4 in 1996. The incidence rate for cases requiring days away from work was 2.1 in 1997, compared with 2.2 in 1996.

In manufacturing – the category that includes most GCIU members, the lost workday incidence rate was 4.8 in 1997, compared with 4.9 in 1996. The incidence rate for cases involving days away from work was 2.4 in 1997, compared with 2.5 in 1996.

Printing and paper industries

GCIU Safety and Health Director Brian J. Bobal said the slight improvement in the incidence rates of injuries and illnesses in the printing and paper industries where GCIU members work is encouraging. However, he noted, the rates are still too close to the national average. In the case of the data for injuries alone in the paper industry, rates exceed the national average.

"We – employers and members – must coordinate and strengthen our efforts to reduce hazards in our industry," Bobal said. "OSHA cannot do it alone, and workers cannot do it alone. Employers need to dedicate themselves to safety as well as to productivity and profit and realize that the three will always be interdependent."

In the printing and publishing industry, the injury and illness incidence rate per 100 full-time workers was 5.7 in 1997, compared with 6.0 in 1996. The incidence rate for cases involving lost workdays was 2.7 in 1997, compared with 2.8 in 1996. The incidence rate for the most serious cases involving days away from work was 1.7 in 1997, down slightly from 1.8 in 1996.

The incidence rate for injuries only was 5.2 in 1997, compared with 5.5 in 1996. Cases involving lost workdays occurred at a rate of 2.5 in 1997, down slightly from 2.6 in 1996. Cases involving days away from work edged down to 1.5 in 1997 from a rate of 1.7 in 1996.

In paper and allied products, the injury and illness incidence rate was 7.3 in 1997, compared with 7.9 in 1996. The incidence rate for cases involving lost workdays edged down to 3.7 in 1997 from 3.8 in 1996. The incidence rate for cases with days away from work also declined slightly to 1.9 in 1997 from 2.0 in 1996.

The incidence rate for injuries only was 6.8 in 1997 – above the national average of 6.6. The rate was 7.2 in 1996. The rate for cases involving lost workdays was 3.5 in 1997, compared with 3.6 in 1996. The rate for cases involving days away from work was 1.8 in 1997, down slightly from 1.9 in 1996.

Illnesses and repeated trauma

There were 430,000 new cases reported of work-related illness in 1997, a decrease of about 9,000 cases from 1996. About three-fourths of the 1997 cases occurred in manufacturing. Skin diseases or disorders accounted for 57,900 cases; dust diseases of the lungs, 2,900 cases; respiratory conditions due to toxic agents, 20,300 cases; poisoning, 5,100 cases; and disorders due to physical agents, 16,600 cases.

There were 276,600 new cases of disorders associated with repeated trauma, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and noise-induced hearing loss, compared with 281,000 reported in 1996. In 1997, these accounted for 64 percent of all reported illnesses.

BLS said commercial printing establishments reported 22,000 new cases of repeated trauma disorders in 1997.

As usual, BLS cautioned that many work-related illnesses, such as long-term latent illnesses caused by exposure to carcinogens, are not adequately recognized or reported.

In a more detailed report on lost worktime injuries and illnesses, BLS said that, as in the past four years, four out of 10 injuries and illnesses in 1997 resulting in time away from work were sprains or strains, most often involving the back, BLS said.

Among major disabling injuries and illnesses, median days away from work – the key survey measure of severity – were highest for carpal tunnel syndrome at 25 days, fractures at 21 days, and amputations at 18 days.

Repetitive motion, such as grasping tools, scanning groceries, and typing, resulted in the longest absences from work among the leading events and exposures with a median of 17 days.

On-the-job deaths

The bureau said that decreases in deaths from job-related homicides and aircraft crashes in 1997 were offset by increases in work-related deaths from highway crashes, falls and accidents involving equipment in operation.

Of all workplace deaths, 42 percent were related to transportation incidents; 18 percent to assaults and violent acts; 17 percent to contact with objects and equipment; 11 percent to falls; 9 percent to exposure to harmful substances or environments; and 3 percent to fires and explosions.

In 1997, job-related highway fatalities reached their highest level since the BLS fatality census began in 1992. Highway crashes were the leading cause of on-the-job fatalities, accounting for 22 percent of 1997 fatal injury total. Some 20 percent of worker fatalities resulted from other transportation-related incidents, such as tractors and forklifts overturning and workers struck by vehicles.

Similar to national trends, workplace homicides fell 7 percent in 1997 but remained the second leading cause of job-related deaths. Four-fifths of homicides resulted from shootings, with robbery as the primary motive.