Reduce work-related injuries resulting in missed work days — OSH‑02 Data Methodology and Measurement

Nonfatal occupational injuries are defined as any injury such as a cut, fracture, sprain, amputation etc., which results from a work-related event or from a single instantaneous exposure in the work environment. The SOII collects data on injuries that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines as recordable. SOII is a cooperative Federal–State program in which employer reports of occupational injuries and illnesses based on OSHA recordkeeping rules are collected from a nationally representative sample of private and public sector establishments. This includes work-related injuries involving loss of consciousness, days away from work, restricted work activity or job transfer, or medical treatment other than first aid. For this objective nonfatal occupational injuries include those to workers, regardless of age, that involve days away from work as well as those without lost workdays. For the first time in 2008, the SOII provided national public sector estimates covering nearly 19 million state and local government workers. The survey excludes the self-employed, farms with fewer than 11 employees, private household workers, and employees in Federal government agencies. The rate per 10000 full-time equivalent workers is computed by (1) dividing the number of occupational injuries reported by the total number of hours worked by all employees during the calendar year, and (2) multiplying the result by 20,000,000. The factor 20,000,000 represents the hours worked in a year by 10000 full-time equivalent workers (working 40 hours work per week, 50 weeks a year). Nonfatal work-related injuries continue to take a toll on the U.S. workforce with an estimated 3.5 million injuries resulting in medical treatment, lost time from work, or restricted work activity as reported by employers in 2016, and an estimated 2.8 million occupational injuries treated in emergency departments that same year. While the data from employer-reports have suggested considerable reductions in work-related injury incidence rates over time, the data from emergency departments have suggested stable rates in recent years. Work-related injuries are preventable.