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Nonfatal Workplace Injuries & Illnesses

Indiana 2021 Workplace Injuries, Illnesses Among Lowest in State’s History

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Indiana had an estimated 3.2 workplace injuries or illnesses in 2021 per 100 full-time workers -- one of the lowest rates in the state’s history. The report focuses on nonfatal injuries and illnesses and is published annually in November. To see the 2021 report, click here.

Each year, the Indiana Department of Labor's Quality, Metrics and Statistics (QMS) division administers the annual Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) on behalf of the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). This survey is conducted by federal and state programs nationwide to estimate the number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses that occur in the United States each year.

The SOII is the only comprehensive measure of work-related injuries and illnesses in American workplaces. Indiana conducts the survey from a sample of over 5,000 employers prepared by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The employers selected represent nearly all Hoosier industries and all sizes of establishments. QMS collects and codes the case information from the surveys and provides it to the BLS for compilation and estimation of the number of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses. We go to great lengths to ensure the confidentiality of the information collected in the SOII. Information that can be used to identify a particular business or employee will never be released by the BLS or QMS. The data released is only available in summary form and is only used for statistical purposes.

To see previous Indiana SOII reports, please click here.

How is this data useful?

This data is used by the Indiana Department of Labor and safety professionals to determine trends in workplace safety and health. For example, OSHA emphasis programs are often based on upward trends in a particular type if injury or in a specific occupation. INSafe uses this information to identify high-hazard industries for outreach and consultations. Indiana's Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (INSHARP) and Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) participants use these rates to benchmark their performance to other businesses in the same industry.

A Recordable Incident

To be recorded as an incident for the SOII, a worker must be injured or made ill while engaged in the course of his/her job and require medical attention.

The SOII focuses on three principal classes of injuries and illnesses:

  • A Recordable Incident is any work-related injury or illness that requires medical attention.
  • Restriction or Transfer means the injury required the worker to be restricted in performance of their work or transferred to other duties.
  • An incident which results in Days Away from Work requires the worker to be absent from work in order to heal.

Occupational Injury & Illness Table

Click here for information about workplace injuries and illnesses and a national level.