About half of the 1.1 million lost work-time injuries and illnesses reported in 2002 occurred during the first four hours on the job, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The median days away from work for recuperation following an injury or illness was seven days. There's a noticeable increase in median days when an employee has been on the job more than 14 hours when the event occurred.

Among high-incident occupations, truck drivers (includes heavy, tractor-trailer, and light or delivery truck drivers), janitors and cleaners, and carpenters had a greater proportion of injuries and illnesses on Mondays. Cooks and sales workers had a greater proportion of their injuries and illnesses on Thursdays and Fridays.