From 1973 to 1997, the rate for total recordable cases of injuries and illnesses in private industry declined from 11.0 to 7.1 cases per 100 full-time workers, according to U.S. Department of Labor surveys included in a new NIOSH publication, “Worker Health Chartbook, 2000.”

The chartbook provides a one-stop resource for current statistics on numbers and types of occupational injuries, illnesses, and deaths by year, as well as incidence rates and trends over time.

The most notable change in workplace safety and health statistics has occurred among cases without lost workdays, which decreased from 7.5 to 3.8 cases per 100 full-time workers over the same period. From 1988-1997, the rate of cases with days away from work declined 40 percent, but there was a 140 percent increase in the rate of cases with restricted work activity only (where workers report to their jobs for limited duty).

One factor behind the drop in overall injury and illness rates is the shift in hours worked from manufacturing to service industry sectors. Manufacturing hours decreased from 35 percent of all hours worked in 1973 to 17 percent in 1997. Hours worked in the service industries increased from 18 percent to 23 percent during that period.

Copies of “Worker Health Chartbook, 2000” are available by calling the toll-free NIOSH information number, 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674). The book is also available electronically the NIOSH website (www.cdc.gov/niosh/00-127pd.html).