Oregon Work-Related Injury Rate at Record-Low

Oregon’s private sector workers suffered work-related injuries and illnesses at a rate of 4.4 for every 100 full-time employees in the 2009 calendar year, the lowest ever recorded, according to a new report.

Of the 48,304 total work-related injury cases recorded in 2009, 52.6 percent resulted in cases with lost work time (days away from work, restriction, or transfer), the 2010 Report on the Oregon Workers’ Compensation System” indicates.

The report, published by the Department of Consumer and Business Services, found that the days away from work, restriction or job transfer (DART) rate was 2.3 for private sector cases in 2009, compared to a rate of 1.9 for state government and 2.8 for local government cases. The overall public sector DART rate was 2.5.

The highest DART rate among industry divisions was 4.8, recorded by transportation and warehousing. Finance and insurance reported the lowest rate of 0.1.

Oregon’s total-cases incidence rate exceeds the national rate by 22.2 percent, and Oregon’s DART rate exceeds the national rate by 27.8 percent. One reason Oregon rates are higher than national rates is a higher proportion of the workforce in hazardous industries, DCBS said. The number of injuries and illnesses reported in a given year can be influenced by many factors, including the level of economic activity, working conditions and work practices, worker experience and training, and the number of hours worked, the Department added.

To view the full report, visit http://www4.cbs.state.or.us/ex/imd/external.