Workplace injury and illness rates declined in 1999 to 6.3 cases per 100 full-time workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Rates have dropped for seven straight years, representing nearly a 30-percent fall-off since 1992.
The 6.3 rate for 1999 is the lowest since BLS began reporting data in the early 1970s. In 1973, the first year reported, the total case rate was 11.0.