BLS puts ‘spotlight’ on state, local government workers

Washington – State and local government workers accounted for one-fifth of injuries and illnesses in 2011, and the incidence rate was highest among state hospital workers, according to a new analysis from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The report, published online in March, is part of the bureau’s “Spotlight on Statistics” series, which examines certain areas of the labor market. State and local government employees made up 14.6 percent of the workers covered by the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses in 2011, the report states.

Among the findings:

• In five of the 34 states for which data was available – Washington, California, New York, Connecticut and New Jersey – state and local government workers had injury and illness rates higher than the national rate of 5.7 cases per 100 full-time workers.
• Violence was responsible for almost one-quarter of injuries involving days away from work among state and local government employees.
• Local workers had the highest injury and illness rate at 6.1 cases per 100 full-time workers, compared with 4.6 cases for state workers and 3.5 cases for private industry.