S.C. Rate of At Work Injuries in Manufacturing Drops in 2009
South Carolina's on-the-job injury/illness rate for manufacturing in 2009 continued its downward trend with 3.4 injuries/illnesses per 100 workers. The 2009 rate is down significantly from 4.2 in 2007 and 4.0 rate in 2008. The data comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) annual Occupational Injury and Illness Survey.
The state's overall injury/illness rate, which includes private industry and private sector, was 3.5 injuries/illnesses per 100 workers. In 2008, the state's overall injury/illness rate was 3.4, which was the lowest rate in the history of the state Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) program since data was first recorded in 1973.
Private industry's rate in South Carolina was 3.2 in 2009, up slightly from 3.1 in 2008. The private industry rate in the U.S. was 3.6 in 2009 compared to 3.9 in 2008.
South Carolina state and local government's rate increased slightly from 4.8 in 2008 to 4.9 in 2009.
Within private industry, the construction industry's rate increased from 2.6 in 2008 to 2.9 in 2009. But the number continued to be significantly lower than the 4.0 in 2007.
Sub-sector industries with the highest non-fatal occupational injury and illness incidence rates per 100 full-time employees for total cases in the state were:
- truck transportation, 7.4
- hospitals, 7.1
- couriers and messengers, 6.9;
- nursing and residential care facilities, 6.7
- motor vehicle and parts dealers, 6.4
- miscellaneous manufacturing, 5.9
- merchant wholesalers, nondurable goods, 5.0
- food manufacturing, 5.0
Within state and local government, state government's injury/illness rate was 3.4 in 2009, up from the 2008 and 2007 rates of 3.2. Local government's rate increased slightly from 5.6 in 2008 to 5.7 in 2009.
The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses is a federal/state program in which employer reports were collected from about ÂÂÂ3,000 South Carolina establishments in 2009 and processed by the state Department of LLR, cooperating with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The survey measures nonfatal injuries and illnesses only. The survey excludes the self-employed; farms with fewer than 11 employees; private households; and federal government agencies.
The annual survey provides estimates of the number and frequency (incidence rates) of workplace injuries and illnesses based on logs kept by employers during the year. These records reflect not only the year's injury and illness experience, but also the employer's understanding of which cases are work related under recordkeeping rules promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor. The number of injuries and illnesses reported in any year can be influenced by the level of economic activity, working conditions and work practices, worker experience and training, and the number of hours worked.
Private Sector Injury/illness Rate South Carolina United States |
2009 3.2 3.6 |
2008 3.1 3.9 |
2007 3.6 4.2 |
2006 3.8 4.4 |
2005 3.6 4.6 |
2004 4.1 4.8 |
2003 4.4 5.0 |
2002 4.5 5.3 |
2001 4.5 5.7 |
2000 5.5 6.1 |
1999 5.7 6.3 |
1998 5.7 6.7 |
1997 5.9 7.1 |
1996 5.9 7.4 |