Bureau of Labor Statistics Reports Decrease in Employer-Reported Nonfatal Workplace Injuries and Illnesses

According to new statistics released late last year, the rate of nonfatal injuries and illnesses among private industry workers decreased in 2017 over the previous year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were approximately 2.8 million private employer-reported nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses. This equates to 2.8 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers (FTE), which was almost 45,800 fewer total cases than were recorded in 2016.
 
BLS also reports that there were 882,730 occupational injuries and illnesses in 2017 that resulted in days away from work (DAFW) in private industry, essentially unchanged from the year before. The private industry incidence rate for DAFW cases was 89.4 cases per 10,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2017. The median days away from work, a key measure of the severity of cases, was 8, unchanged from 2016.
 
“It is positive news for workers and business owners when injury and illness rates go down,” said Dirk Yamamoto, PhD, CIH^® and Chair of ABIH^®. “While some accidents and unforeseen events that put the health and safety of workers in jeopardy do happen in the real world, it is not acceptable for any workers to be injured or to become ill if it was preventable in the first place. So many injuries and illnesses can be averted with the expertise offered by Certified Industrial Hygienists. CIHs are trained and experienced in identifying workplace hazards to protect the health and safety of workers. These preeminent industrial hygienists are trained to anticipate, recognize, evaluate, and control a wide range of chemical, physical, biological, and ergonomic stressors. Health risk analysis, hazard communications, ergonomics, work environments, and industrial processes are all key components of the CIH^® program. This comprehensive knowledge base can help employers protect workers and avoid the billions of dollars that are spent each year on direct and indirect costs associated with disabling injuries, illnesses, and deaths.”
 
To learn more about the American Board of Industrial Hygiene^®, the Certified Industrial Hygienist^® credential, or to locate a CIH^® to perform industrial hygiene services, please visit www.ABIH.org or email abih@ABIH.org . For information about the Qualified Environmental Practitioner (QEP^®) credential or Environmental Professional In-Training (EPI) designation, visit www.IPEP.org or email ipep@IPEP.org . Please call (517) 321-2638 for questions about ABIH^® or its credentials and designations.
 
About the American Board of Industrial Hygiene ^®
Since 1960, ABIH^®, a not-for-profit corporation, has been the world’s largest organization for certifying professionals in the practice of industrial hygiene. ABIH^® is the premier credentialing body responsible for ensuring high-quality certification including education, experience, examination, certification maintenance, and ethics enforcement. ABIH^® also administers the Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP^®) credential for established environmental practitioners and the Environmental Professional In-Training (EPI) designation for early-career practitioners. Currently, more than 7,600 people around the world hold the CIH^® credential, QEP^® credential, or EPI designation. 
 

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