Wyoming Labor Force Trends

December 2023 | Volume 60, No. 12

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Results of the 2022 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses

Article | Tables and Figures

by: Chris McGrath, Senior Statistician

This article summarizes the results from the 2022 Wyoming Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. The data include estimates of incidence rates by industry and the nature of the injury or illness. Worker demographics, such as age, gender, and occupation, along with case characteristics of event or exposure, source, and nature of injuries and illnesses are also covered for survey years 2021-2022. An estimated 2,600 nonfatal occupational injury and illness cases with days away from work occurred in private industry in Wyoming in 2022, with an incidence rate of 3.0 per 100 workers, excluding farms with fewer than 11 employees. More information is available at https://doe.state.wy.us/LMI/OSH/toc.htm

Each year the Research & Planning (R&P) section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services conducts the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) for Wyoming. This is done in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of a nationwide data collection effort to help measure the effectiveness of governmental efforts to reduce the number of work-related injuries and illnesses. The survey data identify incidence rates of work-related injuries and illnesses at the industry level, as well as detailed case characteristics of severe injuries and illnesses that result in days away from work (DAFW) and days of job transfer or restriction (DJTR).

Beginning with survey years 2021-2022, biennial estimates for DAFW and DJTR by detailed case characteristics and worker demographics will be published every two years. The goal of this expansion is to provide a more comprehensive view of how workplace injuries and illnesses are managed.

The data collected for the cases with lost time, which include DAFW and DJTR, can be used by employers and safety awareness groups to focus on prevention. The data are also used by regulatory agencies for tracking injury and illness trends, and to target safety resources.

Wyoming had an estimated 2,600 occupational injury and illness cases with days away from work and days of job transfer or restriction in private industry in 2022, compared to 2,700 in 2021.

Background and Methodology

The Occupational Injuries and Illnesses form is a mandatory survey sent out in January 2023. Wyoming employers were notified of their required participation in early 2022 and asked to maintain a log and summary of work-related injuries and illnesses using the OSHA 300 form and supplementary record with the 301 form. The data collection periods lasted approximately seven months; after which data and results were reviewed by state, regional, and national BLS staff and incidence rates were calculated.

Data were reported by employers on the basis of a single incident or occurrence. If an employee experienced more than one nonfatal work-related injury or illness during the calendar year, each incident was reported separately and is referred to as a case. If an incident injured more than one employee, each employee was reported separately on the questionnaire. For a work-related injury/illness to be categorized as a recordable case, it must result in any of the following:

• Death
• Days away from work
• Restricted work or transfer to another job
• Medical treatment beyond first aid
• Loss of consciousness
• A significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health care professional, even if it does not result in death, days away from work, restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness.
  

For additional information, see the OSHA Recordkeeping Rules online at https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping.

Incidence Rates

Incidence rates by industry indicate the number of nonfatal occupational illnesses or injuries per 100 full-time employees. The cases deemed the most serious are those involving days away from work and days of job transfer or restriction. The BLS counts up to a cap of 180 days away from work per case, even though there are cases with more days. Days away from work cases associated with employees who do not require time off from work beyond the day of injury are not included as days away from work cases. Other recordable cases are also counted in the summary of injuries and/or illnesses, which are cases requiring medical treatment beyond first aid but with no lost time, restricted duty, or job transfer days.

Figure 1 compares incidence rates for all United States private sector, and Wyoming private and public sectors. Private industry encompasses both the goods-producing and service-providing sectors. The incidence rate for the U.S. private sector in 2022 was 2.7 and 3.0 for Wyoming. The public sector in Wyoming, which is comprised of state and local government, had an incidence rate of 3.2 in 2022 and 3.9 in 2021.

Figure 2 shows incidence rates for total nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by major industry sector in Wyoming for 2021 & 2022. The total estimated incidence rate in Wyoming for all industries was 3.0 in 2022 3.1 in 2021. Wyoming had an incidence rate of 3.0 in private industry in 2022, and 2.9 in 2021. In 2022, manufacturing had an incidence rate of 4.1, while construction had an incidence rate of 3.1. In service-providing sectors, education & health services had an incidence rate of 4.8 in 2022 and 4.0 in 2021. Leisure & hospitality had an incidence rate of 3.3 in 2022 compared to 2.9 in 2021.

At the occupational level, healthcare support occupations such as nursing assistants and home health aides had lower numbers of injuries and illnesses in 2021-2022 than occupations such as tractor-trailer truck drivers (see Table 1). Transportation & material moving occupations led with 780 injuries and illnesses in 2021-2022, followed by construction & extraction occupations with 680. Healthcare support occupations such as certified nursing assistants had a total 350 injuries and illnesses in 2021-2022. More detailed information of cases by industry and occupation are available in the publication titled, Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses for Wyoming, 2022, available online at https://doe.state.wy.us/LMI/OSH/OSH_22/SOII_WY_2022.pdf.

Figure 3 illustrates the number of injuries and illnesses by major occupation and gender in private industry in 2021 & 2022. The SOII collects occupational information based on Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes; the SOC system “is used by Federal statistical agencies to classify workers into occupational categories” (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023). Females working in service-related occupations had the most recorded number of injuries in 2021-2022 with 920. Transportation & material moving occupations followed with 270 injuries and illnesses. Service-related occupations include cooks, servers, maintenance workers, and protective service workers. The major occupational group with the highest number of injuries and illnesses in 2021-2022 for males was construction & extraction with 790. Transportation & material moving occupations followed closely with 760 injuries and illnesses. Jobs classified under transportation & material moving occupations include motor vehicle operators and transportation workers.

In 2022, there were 232,000 males in Wyoming's civilian non-institutional population, about 154,000 (66.3%) of whom were employed. Females were employed at a lower rate (55.7%, or about 126,000 of the estimated population of 226,000; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022). Figure 4 shows of the 5,340 injuries and illnesses in 2021-2022, males ages 25-34 and 45-54 had the highest number of injuries and illnesses that resulted in days away from work, job transfer, or restriction, with 710 and 700, respectively.

Females ages 25-34 recorded 480 injuries and illnesses, followed by those ages 45-54 with a total of 400.

Case Characteristics

Each nonfatal occupational injury and illness is profiled and summarized in four case characteristics: nature of injury or illness, part of body affected, source of injury or illness, and event or exposure of injury or illness. This detailed examination of each injury or illness helps organizations and those responsible for workplace safety identify and correct hazards in the workplace. This analysis assists in determining what additional measures or safety training need to be added to improve what is already in place. The case characteristics described in this section are found in the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Manual, Version 2.0 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010).

The nature of injury or illness refers to the physical characteristics of the disabling injury or illness, such as cuts, fractures, or sprains. Figure 5 shows that in 2021-2022, 26.8% (1,430) of private industry’s 5,340 total cases of nonfatal occupational injuries resulted in sprains, strains, or tears, and 20.8% caused soreness, pain. Fractures accounted for 10.3% of the nature of injury.

The part of the body is directly linked to the nature of injury or illness cited, such as back, finger, or eye. Figure 6 identifies that upper extremities was the part of body most affected in 2021-2022 with 1,670 injuries or 31.3% of the total 5,340 cases. The category upper extremities include the elbow, arm, wrist, fingers, hand, and shoulder. Lower extremities, which include legs, feet, toes, ankles, and knees, recorded 1,140 injuries (21.3% of the total) in 2021-2022.

The source of a nonfatal occupational injury or illness is the object, substance, exposure, or bodily motion that directly caused the disabling condition, such as chemical, vehicle, or machinery (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010). Figure 7 illustrates the distribution of injuries and illnesses by source for private industry in Wyoming in 2021-2022. Of the 5,340 total cases, person, injured or ill worker was the source for 15.2% (810) of the cases. Floors, walkways, ground surfaces followed with 750 cases or 14.0%. If an employee was injured when slipping on ice in a parking lot or sidewalk, the source would be the parking lot or sidewalk and would be included in the category floors, walkways, ground surfaces.

One example of when the injured or ill worker is the source of an injury could involve an incident with a slip or trip without falling. If a worker trips over a box on the floor and suffers a sprain, the source is the employee and the box is the secondary source.

The event or exposure in a case is the manner in which the injury or illness was produced or inflicted, such as falls, overexertion, or repetitive motion. Figure 8 shows that in 2021-2022, males and females had the highest number of cases by event or exposure due to overexertion and bodily reaction with 960 and 600, respectively. The next highest event or exposure for males was contact with object, equipment with 920 cases. Falls, slips, trips was the second most for females with 580 cases. An example of an injury or illness that would be produced by overexertion and bodily reaction would be a job that required excessive amounts of physical exertion such as standing, climbing, kneeling, bending, stepping, etc., which resulted in the injury or illness. Falls, slips, trips is a much broader category and includes falls on the same level, falls and jumps to lower levels; slips, trips on uneven surfaces, a substance, hole, etc. Injuries or illnesses inflicted in contact with object, equipment category are a result of contact between the injured person and the source. Examples would be an employee being cut by a slipping knife or an employee caught under collapsing material.

Summary

From 2021 to 2022, incidence rates of work-related injuries and illnesses in all industries in Wyoming remained essentially unchanged from 3.1 to 3.0. Overall, males continued to experience work-related injuries and illnesses more frequently than females. This was likely due in part to higher ratios of males to females employed in industries with higher incidence rates. More details on 2021-2022 data, as well as further documentation and historical data, are available at https://doe.state.wy.us/LMI/OSH/toc.htm.

References

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2010, September). Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Manual (September 2010). Version 2.0.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2016, February). Standard Occupational Classification – SOC 2000 User Guide. Retrieved November 21, 2023, from https://www.bls.gov/soc/2000/socguide.htm

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022). Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population by sex, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, and detailed age, 2022 annual averages. Division of Local Area Unemployment Statistics. Retrieved October 2, 2023, from https://www.bls.gov/lau/table14full22.pdf

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023, November 9). Employer-reported workplace injuries and illnesses (annual) news release. Retrieved November 20, 2023, from https://www.bls.gov/news.release/osh.nr0.htm