Washington's job sites were safer in 2010, continuing a trend that began nearly a decade ago, according to survey results released recently by the Department of Labor & Industries.

The Occupational Injury and Illness Survey for Washington State noted that 5 out of every 100 full-time workers in Washington in both the private and public sector industries suffered a job-related injury or illness in 2010, down from the 5.3 rate in 2009. (WCxKit)

It is the lowest rate recorded since 2003, when the injury rate in Washington state was 6.9. That is when L&I began using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) which had been adopted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

For private industry alone, Washington's reported injury and illness rate remains higher than the national rate. For Washington, that rate was 4.8 per 100 full-time workers in 2010, while the national rate was 3.5.

Almost all major industry sectors in Washington reported improved numbers in 2010. In construction, for instance, the injury and illness rate dropped from 8.2 in 2009 to 7.2 in 2010. Nursing and Residential Care Facilities saw a decline of 11.4 injuries per 100 workers in 2009 to 9.4 injuries last year. (WCxKit)

Also declining in the latest survey was the rate of injuries serious enough that a worker had to miss work. In 2010, 2.5 of those 5 workers who were injured or became ill needed time off or modified work duties while they recovered. That rate is down from 2.6 in 2009.

Author Rebecca Shafer, JD, President of Amaxx Risk Solutions, Inc. is a national expert in the field of workers compensation. She is a writer, speaker, and website publisher. Her expertise is working with employers to reduce workers compensation costs, and her clients include airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality, and manufacturing. She is the author of the #1 selling book on cost containment, Manage Your Workers Compensation: Reduce Costs 20-50% www.WCManual.com. Contact: RShafer@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.