Study: State workplace injury cases level with national rate

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  • nursing assistants had the highest number of cases involving days away from work in 2020, according to the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. Photo Provided.
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OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma’s workplace injury and illness rate is on par with the rest of the country, according to a private industry sampling conducted in 2020 by the state Labor Department.

The incidence rate per 100 full-time employees was 2.7, a rate that could not be judged on previous years since Oklahoma discontinued the sampling in 2012. Last year was the first year to restart the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) program. The state labor department received a federal grant for the survey’s implementation.

The low workplace injury rate is important since it allows employees to go home to their families “safe and sound,” said John Dyer, director for the Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health Division. “It’s good that the workforce is healthier and safer over the long haul.”

The 2020 sample size was about 1,800-2,000 businesses, Dyer said. The next sample size will range from 4,000-5,000 Oklahoma businesses. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics determines which industries are sampled.

The injury and death rate has dropped dramatically over the last several decades even as the workforce has grown.

“According to OSHA, the injury rate was high prior to 1970 with an average of 11 deaths per day and now that figure is down to three,” Dyer said. “But we also have to look at the workforce. Around 1970, there were 40 million to 50 million workers and now we have about 150 million.”

The 2020 sampling also discovered 80% of the illnesses were respiratory, which could be attributed in large part to the COVID-19 virus. Nationally, Occupational injuries and illnesses collected in the 2020 SOII include cases of COVID-19 when a worker was infected as a result of performing their work-related duties and met other recordkeeping criteria. COVID-19 is considered a respiratory illness under criteria established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). 

Ten occupations accounted for 38.3 percent of all private industry cases involving days away from work

(DAFW) in 2020. Of these, nursing assistants had the highest number of DAFW cases with 96,480, an

increase of 68,890 cases (249.7%) from 2019. In 2020, DAFW cases for registered nurses increased by 58,590 cases (290.8%) to 78,740 cases.

In Oklahoma, young workers had the highest injury and sickness rate of 261 per 10,000 full-time workers. However, older workers had fewer incidences with a rate of 81 per 10,000 full-time workers. These figures show that employers should provide training so younger workers can understand the risks of their jobs, Dyer said.

Other key findings in the Oklahoma sampling showed the leading events of injury or illnesses for women was exposure to harmful substances or environments with 3,590 employer-reported cases. Overexertion and bodily reaction was among the leading causes for men with 1,640 employer-reported cases.

The sampling also found the median number of days away from work per case was 10, which was lower than the national average of 12. In addition, employers with 1,000 or more employees had an incidence rate of 4.7 among 100 full-time employees. 

State Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn said having a strong, healthy workforce is vital to Oklahoma’s productivity and success.

 “The state Labor Department offers free no-cost safety and health consultation services for both private and public sector employers to identify hazards and improve workplace safety resulting in fewer accidents, lower injury rates, and workers who, at the end of the day, return home to their families,” she said.