Workplace Injuries Across Kansas Decline

"I'm encouraged by the results of this latest survey, and I commend Kansas employers for their commitment to safety for the benefit of their workers,” said Kansas Labor Secretary Karin Brownlee.

The report is based on a survey of over 3,500 randomly-selected Kansas employers and includes information on annual counts and incident rates for nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in the private sector during 2009. Data for 2009 is the most recent data available.

Other findings of the 2009 survey include:

• An estimated 38,200 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses occurred among private industry workers in 2009, down from
    43,400 cases in 2008.
  


• The construction industry sector reported the largest year-to-year decline in injuries and illnesses, falling by 29 percent from
    2008 to 2009.
  


• Approximately 8,720 of the 2009 workplace injuries and illnesses required days away from work, with an average of eight
    days. More than 25 percent of these cases involved 31 or more days  away from work. 
  


• Men accounted for 61.2 percent of all cases requiring days away from work.
  


• Workers age 45-54 accounted for 26.1 percent of the injured and ill workers. They were closely followed by the 35-44 age
    group at 24.9 percent, and 25-34 age group at 22.7 percent. 
  


• Strains and sprains were the number one result of injury and illnesses in Kansas, representing 3,770 of the 8,720 injuries
    which involved days away from work.
  


• Truck drivers of heavy trucks and tractor trailers experienced the highest number of days away from work with 600 cases.
    Laborers and freight, stock and materials movers by hand were the second highest at 540 cases, followed by nursing aides,
    orderlies and attendants at 430 cases. 

KDOL provides a variety of services to assist in achieving the goal of continuous workplace safety improvement. Among these are free, confidential consultations for businesses that include:

• one-on-one meetings with employers
• a walk-through safety evaluation
• a written report with findings and suggested solutions
• a follow-up visit to ensure any serious hazards were corrected and to give additional suggestions for improvement 

Share This Article: