Workplace Injuries Take Major Spill

Lynn Schenkman

Washington, D.C. – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is reporting that injuries and illnesses occurring in private industry workplaces were down in 2001. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Washington, D.C., the 2001 injury rate – 5.7 injury and illness cases per 100 full-time workers – dropped 8 percent from 2000. The figure is the lowest since the BLS began reporting this data in the early 1970s. OSHA also is reporting that beginning in 2003, employers will be required to use new criteria to report hearing loss in order to gather more specific data on work-related hearing disorders.