When looking at nonfatal illnesses and injuries that are reported in the private sector, a trend quickly becomes clear: Injuries are on the decline.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a division of the U.S. Department of Labor, put out the stats for 2003 through 2014, and the trend held true in every year except one.
In 2003, there were five nonfatal incidents for every 100 workers. This only looked at workers who were considered full-time. It dropped with perfect consistency for the next four years, falling to 4.8, then to 4.6, then to 4.4 and finally to 4.2.
In 2008, it fell even more, dropping all the way to 3.9. That sharp drop continued in 2009, when it fell to 3.6.
That’s when things began to slow down. The next year, it still fell, but just to 3.5. The year after, it was down to 3.4. Then, for the first time in the recorded time-frame, it didn’t fall at all. It didn’t climb, but 2012 saw 3.4 for the second year in a row.
After that plateau, though, the trend kicked back in; while some may have worried that things were reversing course, it quickly became clear that that wasn’t true. In 2013, it fell to 3.3, and then it ended up at 3.2 in 2014.
This does show that the workplace is getting safer, and it has been for years. However, it’s also important to remember that these stats show that there are thousands and thousands of injuries every year. Keep in mind that these numbers are just for every 100 workers. If you’ve been injured in Louisiana, you may deserve compensation for your medical bills and much more.
Source: Bureau of Labor, “Employer Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses,” accessed Oct. 06, 2016
