Work-related hospitalizations in Michigan up again in 2016

East Lansing, MI — Work-related injuries requiring hospitalization increased for the third straight year in Michigan, recent data from Michigan State University shows.

Since 2014, Michigan hospitals have been required to report work-related injuries for which workers’ compensation is the expected payer, according to the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Division of the MSU College of Human Medicine. In 2016, 861 workers were hospitalized with injuries – up from 844 in 2015 and 793 in 2014. Preliminary data for 2017, through Jan. 17, projects the annual total to be 825.

In 2016, falls accounted for 40.7 percent of injuries, followed by struck-by incidents (28.3 percent). Other key statistics:

• Fractures (50.6 percent) were the most common injury.
• Six of the injured workers died.
• The average hospital stay was six days.
• 81 percent of the injured workers were men.

In the 771 cases in which industry was identified, hospitalizations in manufacturing led the way at 21 percent, followed by construction (18.8), agriculture (12.5), retail trade (7.4) and transportation (6.4).

At press time, the MSU Occupational and Environmental Medicine Division was preparing its inaugural report on work-related hospitalizations in Michigan.