- Collection:
- Georgia Government Publications
- Serial:
- News release (Georgia Department of Labor)
- Title:
- News release, May 15, 1998B
- Creator:
- Georgia. Department of Labor
- Contributor to Resource:
- Georgia. Department of Labor.
- Publisher:
- Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia Dept. of Labor, 1998-05-15
- Date of Original:
- 1998-05-15
- Subject:
- Georgia. Department of Labor--Periodicals
Labor--Georgia--Periodicals - Location:
- United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
- Medium:
- state government records
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- application/pdf
- Description:
- Title from caption
Each issue also has a distinctive theme title - External Identifiers:
- Call Number GA L200 .P1 N45 1998/5-15B
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bl200-b-pp1-bn45-b1998-s5-h15b-belec-p-btext
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:dlg_ggpd_i-ga-bl200-b-pp1-bn45-b1998-s5-h15b-belec-p-btext
- Language:
- eng
- Holding Institution:
- University of Georgia. Map and Government Information Library
- Rights:
-
Georgia Department of Labor
Suite 642 148 International Boulevard N.E. Atlanta, Georgia 30303-1751 (404)656-3032
May 15, 1998
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WORKPLACE INJURY AND ILLNESS RATES DOWN IN GEORGIA
ATLANTA -- State Labor Commissioner Marti Fullerton said today that 164,500 people suffered on-the-job injuries or illnesses in 1996 in Georgia. This is a decline of 23,100, or 12.3 percent, from the 187,600 reported in 1995.
The information comes from the 1996 Annual Survey of Nonfatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, a joint project of the Georgia Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The data is obtained from several federal, state and local governmental agencies and from private employers.
Georgia is on a downward trend in the number of private industry workers who reported on-the-job illnesses or injuries. In 1996, 5.6 percent of the state's 2.9 million private industry work force reported being injured or sick on the job, down from 7.7 percent in 1995, 8.6 percent in 1994, 8.7 percent in 1993 and 9.0 percent in 1992.
"In recent years, we have seen a decline in the number of people injured or sick on the job," Fullerton said. "And the latest survey indicates that we are still headed in the right direction. Our state's employers and their employees are becoming much more aware of the need for safety in the workplace. Employers conducting safety programs for their employees is the key to saving lives, preventing injuries and maintaining higher levels of production. We encourage employers to contact our safety engineering office for more information about setting up safety programs." The office's telephone number is (404) 656-2966.
In 1996, sprains and strains accounted for 48 percent of all injuries and illnesses on the job, and truck drivers, laborers and nurses aides were the workers who suffered the most. All industries reported declines in their injury/illness rates from 1995 to 1966. At 10.1 percent, manufacturers of such big ticket items as aircraft and automobiles, furniture and wooden fixtures, and stone, clay and glass products reported the greatest percentage of their work forces suffered from injury or illness on the job. The percentage, however, was down from 13.2 percent the previous year. Employers at real estate firms, insurance companies and financial institutions reported the smallest percentage at 1.8 percent, down from 2.2 percent.
The declines in the injury/illness percentages for other industries include: construction, 7.6 from 9.2; nondurable manufacturing, 7.3 from 9.7; transportation, communications and public utilities, 7.0 from 11.2; agriculture, forestry and fishing, 6.1 from 8.8; wholesale trade, 5.6 from 6.8; retail trade, 5.3 from 6.3; services, 3.8 from 5.6; and mining, 2.6 from 3.2.
NEWS MEDIA NEEDING MORE INFORMATION MAY CALL (404) 656-3032 E-mail: communications@dol.state.ga.us.
FY-98-565
An Equal Opportunity Employer