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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: 202-219-8211
Today's release of 1997 injury and illness data by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics has both good and bad news for the American worker. It is heartening
to note that nearly 50,000 fewer workers needed time away from their jobs due
to injuries or illness. The numbers have been declining consistently since
1993, although they are coming down more slowly than we would like.
Several areas are cause for real concern. While the overall trend for
younger workers is improving, too many teenagers are still being injured on the
job, especially in the retail trades.
Last year, President Clinton sought $1 million to begin a much needed
review of regulations that prohibit the employment of youth under 18 in
particularly hazardous jobs. I am pleased to announce today that the National
Institute of Occupational Safety and Health is beginning this important
research for the Labor Department.
We must also note that injuries and illnesses for construction
laborers, carpenters, and welders and cutters increased by a total of 8,000
cases. And while rates came down for truck drivers, their actual numbers are
still very high -- 145,500 injuries and illness requiring time away from work
each year.
And finally, musculoskeletal disorders -- or MSDs -- caused by poor
ergonomic conditions stubbornly remain among the most serious problems in our
workforce today. For the fourth year in a row, four of every 10 injuries and
illnesses resulting in loss of work time are due to sprains or strains, mostly
involving the back. Women are especially at risk from MSDs, suffering 63
percent of all repetitive motion problems from such jobs as keyboarding, data
entry, cashier work and scanning.
Employers and employees, trade associations and unions, safety and
health professionals and policy makers all must play a role in reducing
workplace injuries and illnesses in America. None of us should rest until every
worker can go home safe and whole every day.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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