The Montana Department of Labor
& Industry (DLI) today released the annual Survey of Occupational Injuries
and Illnesses.
Employers in Montana reported a
total of 13,700 recordable Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
injuries and illnesses in 2019, with 11,500 of those in the private industry.
Of the private industry injuries and illnesses in 2019, 5,600 were serious
enough to require recuperation away from work, a transfer from or restricted
duties at work, or both.
The survey found that private
industry workplaces in Montana reported a rate of 3.8 injury and illness cases
per hundred full-time workers in 2019. An incident rate of 3.9 cases per
hundred full-time workers was recorded in 2018. A total of 14,100 recordable
injuries and illnesses were reported in 2018.
DLI’s
Data Management Section conducts the annual survey in cooperation with the U.S.
Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Participating employers
maintain injury and illness recordkeeping forms, which are then analyzed to
determine incidence rates of workplace injuries and illnesses experience by
year. Injuries and illnesses are reported when they result in lost work time,
medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness, restriction of work
or motion, or require a transfer to another job.
Montana’s incidence rate of
injuries and illnesses varied by major industry sector in 2019. The industries
with the higher incidence rates per 100 full-time workers were arts,
entertainment and recreation, at 5.7, manufacturing, with 5.3, and health care
and social assistance at 5.1. The industries with lower incidence rates were
finance and insurance with 0.5 incidence rates per 100 full-time workers,
professional, scientific and technical services with 1.1, and information at
1.2.
The entire 2019 Survey of
Occupational Injuries and Illnesses publication can be viewed at
http://erd.dli.mt.gov/Portals/54/Documents/Work-Comp-Claims/OSHS/SOII-Report_2019-Final-Accessible.pdf?ver=2020-11-05-110759-973.
DLI’s Safety & Health Bureau
provides free on-site consultation services to assist with compliance of OSHA
regulations in both the private and public sectors. Staff can help employers
identify safety and health hazards and provide recommendations to reduce
hazards and improve overall workplace safety. To learn more about the Safety
& Health Consultation Program, visit
erd.dli.mt.gov/safety-health/onsite-consultation.
DLI is hosting a free, virtual SafetyFestMT
Bozeman event from November 16 through 20. Montana employers and workers are
encouraged to register for the safety trainings by visiting
safetyfestmt.dli.mt.gov/bozeman-2020. Forty topics are included on the
agenda, including an Assistance for Business Clinic and a panel covering
COVID-19 and Workers’ Compensation.