The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday that nonfatal workplace injuries declined to 3.3 million in 2009, down from 3.7 million in 2008.
The rate of such injuries fell to 3.6 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers, a decrease from 3.9 per 100 in 2008.
In a statement announcing the decrease, the Labor Department did not cite a reason for the lower numbers.
But Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis said in the statement that she is concerned about certain employers that discourage workers from reporting injuries.
“Complete and accurate workplace injury records can serve as the basis for employer programs to investigate injuries and prevent future occurrences,” she said. “Most employers understand this and do their best to prevent worker injuries, but some do not. That is why my department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is aggressively working to ensure the completeness and accuracy of injury data compiled by the nation’s employers.”
The post won’t be completed unless we report and celebrate the decline of fatal injuries in 2009. According to a preliminary study, total of 4,340 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2009, down from a final count of 5,214 fatal work injuries in 2008. The 2009 total represents the smallest annual preliminary total since the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program was first conducted in 1992.
Based on this preliminary count, the rate of fatal work injury for U.S. workers in 2009 was 3.3 per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, down from a final rate of 3.7 in 2008. Counts and rates are
likely to increase with the release of final 2009 CFOI results in April 2011. Over the last 2 years, increases in the published counts based on information received after the publication of preliminary results
have averaged 156 fatalities per year or about 3 percent of the revised totals.
A preliminary total of 4,340 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States in 2009, down from a final count of 5,214 fatal work injuries in 2008. The 2009 total represents the smallest annual preliminary total since the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program was first conducted in 1992. Based on this preliminary count, the rate of fatal work injury for U.S. workers in 2009 was 3.3 per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, down from a final rate of 3.7 in 2008. Counts and rates are likely to increase with the release of final 2009 CFOI results in April 2011. Over the last 2 years, increases in the published counts based on information received after the publication of preliminary results have averaged 156 fatalities per year or about 3 percent of the revised totals.