OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH STATISTICS

(INJURIES, ILLNESSES, AND FATALITIES)

The Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing, OSH/CFOI section, administers two statistical programs through a grant/agreement with the U. S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The first program, known as the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), involves collecting data from a random sample of both public and private employers.  The section compiles data issued annually for the preceding calendar year.

Safety and health policy analysts and researchers use this information to help prevent work injuries by:

• Informing workers of life-threatening hazards associated with various jobs.

• Promoting safer work practices through enhanced job safety training.

• Assessing and improving workplace safety standards.

• Identifying new areas of safety research.

The data collected from this survey includes annual average employment, total hours worked, and injury and illness totals for the State of Arkansas.  Demographic and case characteristic data are provided for work injury cases that involve one or more day away from work, job transfer, or restriction.  For 2021, 2.4 work-related injuries and illnesses were reported for every 100 full-time workers in private industry in Arkansas, down from 2.8 in 2020. The national private sector incidence rate in 2020 was 2.7.  For the public sector in Arkansas, there were 3.3 work-related injuries and illnesses reported for every 100 fulltime workers in 2021, compared to 3.4 in 2020.

The second statistical program is known as the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). This program collects data to produce comprehensive, accurate, and timely counts of fatal work injuries in the State of Arkansas.  To compile counts that are as complete as possible, the census uses multiple sources to identify, verify, and profile fatal worker injuries.  Information about each fatal workplace injury – occupation and other worker characteristics, equipment involved, and circumstances of the event – is obtained by cross-referencing source records such as death certificates, workers’ compensation reports, and federal and state agency administrative reports. In 2021, 74 workers lost their lives in Arkansas, up from 64 in 2020.

Please visit http://www.bls.gov/iif for more information on both programs.

State tables can be found on the BLS website here:
https://www.bls.gov/iif/state-data.htm

More detailed data can be extracted using the LABSTAT data found here:

https://data.bls.gov/gqt/InitialPage

For more information on SOII or CFOI statistics, contact Don Cash at 501-682-4542