Worker Health Surveillance

Estimates of Workplace Illnesses and Injuries

The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) is designed to estimate the number of work-related injuries and illnesses and the rate at which they occur. It is the only comprehensive measure of work-related injuries and illnesses in American workplaces.

Each year, the survey collects data on non-fatal injuries and illnesses from a sample of employers from private industry and state and local governments. SOII contains two distinct outputs:

The annual survey of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses gathers data to estimate industry-level, non-fatal work-related injuries and illnesses.
The Cases and Demographics of Nonfatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses involving Days Away From Work provides detailed case circumstances and worker characteristics for workers who have non-fatal work-related injuries and illnesses with one or more days away from work.

These reports form the basis of the annual estimates published in the October and November after the data are collected. According to BLS, information collected from SOII can be used to:

Identify and correct hazards in the workplace.
Indicate workplace safety and health conditions across industries and kinds of workers.
Help the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) determine where additional measures are needed to improve safety programs and to measure the effectiveness of the 1970 act in reducing work-related injuries and illnesses.
Help labor and management design and evaluate safety programs.
Help insurance carriers involved in workers’ compensation, industrial hygienists, manufacturers of safety equipment, researchers, and others concerned with job safety and health.

Learn more about estimates of workplace illnesses and injuries in the charts below. The data used to prepare these charts can be found by visiting the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses industry injury rates and counts and case and demographics.

In 2015, the private industry sector reported 2.91 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses, corresponding to an overall rate of 3.0 per 100 full-time workers. The total nonfatal workplace injury and illness incidence (count and rate) continues to decline over time. This trend is reflected in the private sector data reported to BLS since 1973.

Number and rate of recordable nonfatal workplace injuries and acute illnesses in private industry, 1973–2015, BLS*

In 2002, OSHA instituted record-keeping changes. For the period 2002–2015 total rates of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses decreased from 5.3 to 3.0 per 100 full-time workers in 2015. Rates for cases with days away from work also decreased, from 1.6 in 2002 to 0.9 per 100 full-time workers in 2015. Each of the case types exhibited a decline over the 13 year period.

Rate of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses by case type, Private industry, 2002–2015, BLS*

In 2015, skin disorders were reported among 21,900 workers, with an incidence rate of 2.3 cases per 10,000 full-time workers. Hearing loss was reported among 16,800 workers, with an incidence rate of 1.98 cases per 10,000 full-time workers. Respiratory conditions were reported among 12,100 workers, with an incidence rate of 1.3 cases per 10,000 full-time workers. Poisonings were reported among 1,700 workers, with an incidence rate of 0.2 cases per 10,000 full-time workers. There were 88,000 illnesses classified as

Number and rate (IR)** of workplace illnesses, Private industry, 2015, BLS*

The rate of sprains, strains, and tears resulting in at least one day away from work was highest among workers in local government at 36.9, followed by state government workers at 26.2, and private industry workers at 21.1.

Rate of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses resulting in days away from work with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), 2015, BLS*

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Page last reviewed: March 30, 2017
Page last updated: March 30, 2017
Content source:
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies (DSHEFS)

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Worker Health Surveillance

Estimates of Workplace Illnesses and Injuries

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