Fla. Unveils 2002 Workplace Injuries and Illnesses

More than 245,000 injuries and illnesses were reported by Florida employers in 2002, according to a joint federal and state survey released this month. In Florida, more than 10,000 employers participated in the joint survey.

Industries involving wholesale, retail trade and services experienced the greatest number of incidents, with 32 percent of the total reported cases. Construction and manufacturing industries together ranked second with 10 percent each of the total cases.

Workers in the agriculture, farming and fishing industry had the highest incidence rate, with 7.4 injuries and illnesses reported per 100 workers. The industry with the lowest incidence rate was finance, insurance and real estate.

More than 70,000 cases involved days away from work, beyond the date of injury or illness. More than 60,000 required either a job transfer or restricted work activity.

These findings are the result of the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), an annual survey conducted by the Florida Department of Financial Services’ Division of Workers’ Compensation in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Labor. Due to changes in reporting requirements made by federal agencies, this year’s survey is not comparable with previous years.

The number of injuries and illnesses reported can reportedly be influenced by changes in the level of economic activity, working conditions and work practices, worker experience and training, and the average number of hours worked by employees.

Visit www.fldfs.com and click Workers’ Compensation and then click on Statistics to view complete statistics from the 2002 SOII.