2010 Survey of Occupational Injuries & Illnesses New Jersey Highlights
The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses provides comprehensive statistics on
work-related injuries and illnesses in New Jersey. The survey, conducted in cooperation
with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for the past 18
years, is designed to produce data to be used as an essential tool for promoting efforts to
make New Jersey’s workplaces safer and healthier.
The calendar year 2010 survey collected data from 9,173 public and private sector
establishments in New Jersey.
An average of one in 27 New Jersey workers sustained an occupational injury or illness
during calendar year 2010. The incidence rate1 for all New Jersey workplaces (public
and private sectors combined), as measured by BLS, was 3.7 injury or illness cases per
100 full-time workers. This rate edged down from the 2009 rate of 3.8, and has been
generally declining since 2003 when an average of 4.8 cases per 100 New Jersey workers
was recorded.
During calendar year 2010, 110,000 work-related injury and illness cases were recorded
among all New Jersey workplaces. Thirty-nine percent (43,200) of these cases involved
loss of work-time beyond the day of the incident.
Private Sector Highlights
Like the statewide rate, New Jersey’s private sector incidence rate edged lower to 3.2 in
2010, and has been generally declining. New Jersey’s private sector total cases incidence
rate has been consistently lower than the national rate, which was 3.5 in 2010, 3.6 in 2009
and 3.9 in 2008.
There were a total of 82,500 injuries and illnesses in New Jersey’s private sector in 2010;
4,900 fewer than in 2009.
Industry sectors with incidence rates significantly higher than the overall New Jersey
private sector rate (3.2) in 2010 were: transportation and warehousing (5.6), health care
and social assistance (5.1), retail trade (4.5), agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting
(4.2), and construction (4.2). (See attached table for industry breakouts).
The transportation and warehousing sector has recorded the highest injury and illness
incidence rate almost every year since 2003 when survey data was first tabulated by the
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The 2010 incidence rate for
total cases was 5.6, ten percent lower than the 6.2 cases recorded in 2009.
New Jersey’s smallest private sector establishments (employing between 1 and 10
workers) had the lowest average incidence rate (1.5). This has not changed since the
survey’s inception. New Jersey’s mid-sized firms (employing 50-249 workers)
experienced the highest overall incidence rate (4.2 cases per 100 full-time workers) in
2010. The incidence rate for this size class was the same in 2009 and in 2008.
In 2010, approximately 3,400 occupational illnesses were diagnosed among New Jersey’s
private sector workers. Fifty-six percent of these cases (1,900) were categorized as “all
other illnesses”, which could include any illnesses that were contracted as a result of a
work-related exposure that do not fall into the following separately tabulated categories:
skin disorders, respiratory conditions, poisonings, or hearing loss. Within all private
industry sectors, 600 skin disorders, 700 respiratory conditions, and 200 hearing losses
were recorded in calendar year 2010.
The incidence rate for cases involving full days away from work beyond the day of the
incident in the private sector was 1.2 cases per 100 workers in 2010. This lost-time case
rate has been the same since 2008, after declining slightly from 1.4 in 2007. The national
rate was 1.1 in 2010, unchanged since 2008.
Three large industry sectors in New Jersey showing steadily declining lost-workday cases
incidence rates over the last few years include manufacturing: (1.7 in 2003 to 1.1 in
2010), wholesale trade (2.0 in 2005 to 1.3 in 2010), and retail trade (2.1 in 2003 to 1.4 in
2010).
The incidence of cases involving job transfer or restriction (light duty) was 0.5 in 2009
and in 2010, after holding steady at 0.6 for three years prior. A case resulting in job
transfer or restriction (without full days of work lost) is an outcome which is better for
both the injured workers and their employers than complete loss of work days. Industry
sectors with the highest incidence of making use of light duty in 2010 were health care
and social assistance (1.0 cases per 100 full-time workers), transportation and
warehousing (0.9 cases), and manufacturing (0.8 cases).
Public Sector Highlights
When comparing private and public sector injury and illness rates, caution must be exercised
because of differences in the risks associated with particular industry and occupational
categories. For example, many public sector workers perform high-risk activities, such as
supplying police protection, guarding correctional institutions, providing paid and volunteer fire
protection, as well as caring for patients in state psychiatric hospitals and residential care
facilities. These high-risk activities do not generally occur in the private sector.
New Jersey’s public sector workers experienced 27,400 work-related injuries and
illnesses in 2010, down from 27,700 in 2009. This number has been steadily declining
and is 3,000 cases less than the 2007 total. The incidence rate for New Jersey’s public
sector was 7.0 cases per 100 workers in 2010, and has been generally declining from 8.9
in 2003.
The overall 2010 state government incidence rate (5.8) decreased again, after a
significant drop in 2009 from 6.5 in 2008. This is the lowest incidence rate recorded for
New Jersey’s State Government sector since 1993, when public sector data was first
collected as part of the BLS cooperative program. Health care and social assistance had
the highest (10.9) incidence rate of injuries and illnesses in 2010, but that rate fell from
12.2 in 2009 and has been generally declining since 2005 when the rate was 14.3. The
total cases rate has also been declining in state correctional institutions, from 13.3 in 2005
to 7.9 in 2010.
Only one of the six industry sectors within state government showed an increase in total
case incidence rates from 2009 to 2010. The state government transportation and
warehousing industry incidence rate increased from 9.4 in 2009 to 10.1 in 2010, but the
rate is still lower than the 13.1 recorded in 2006 for this state government industry.
There were 400 fewer recordable cases each year for the last two years within New
Jersey state government. (7,300 cases in 2008, 6,900 in 2009, 6,500 in 2010)
Within state government, the incidence rate for cases involving days away from work
was 3.4 cases per 100 full-time workers in 2010. There were 3,800 cases resulting in
days away from work within New Jersey’s state government sector in 2010.
The total number of injury and illness cases in local government was 100 greater in 2010
compared with 2009, leading to an incidence rate of 7.5. Despite nudging up from 7.4 in
2009, the local government rate has been generally trending downward since a rate of 8.2
cases per 100 workers was reported in 2007. New Jersey’s local government sector
includes county and municipal workers as well as volunteer and paid firefighters.
Five of the seven industry sectors within local government showed decreases in total
recordable cases incidence rates from 2009 to 2010. Local government industry sectors
with notable decreasing rates from 2009 to 2010 were utilities (down from 12.8 to 11.1),
and real estate and rental and leasing (down from17.3 to 10.8).
Within local government, the incidence rate for cases involving days away from work
was 3.3 cases per 100 full-time workers in 2010. There were 9,100 cases resulting in
days away from work within New Jersey’s local government sector in 2010.
The total cases incidence rate for the public administration industry sector within local
government decreased again from 9.2 in 2009 to 9.1 in 2010, after dropping from 9.6 in
2008 and 10.3 in 2007. This industry sector includes police protection, fire protection
(paid and volunteer), county correctional institutions, and other municipal and county
government operations. These services involve higher risk for work-related injuries and
illnesses. Incidence rates for 2010 total cases were as follows:
Fire protection rate was 12.8 in 2010, up slightly from 12.7 in 2009, but still
lower than 14.0 registered in 2007.
County correctional institutions rate was 11.6 in 2010 and in 2009, down from
14.6 in 2008, and lower than the rate in this industry from 2005-2008.
Police protection rate was 11.0 in 2010, up from 10.4 in 2009, but still lower than
11.4 in 2008 and 12.5 in 2007.
1
Incidence rates represent the number of injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers, and were calculated as:
(N/EH) x 200,000, where N = number of injuries and illnesses, EH = total hours worked by all employees during the
calendar year. 200,000 = base for 100 equivalent full-time workers (working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per
year.)