Report: State workplaces hit all-time low for injuries, illnesses

The state’s annual non-fatal workplace injury and illness rate hit an all-time low in 2013, the Indiana Department of Labor announced Monday morning.

The rate fell to 3.8 injuries or illnesses per 100 fulltime workers, the state said, a 5-percent decline from the previous low of 4.0, which was recorded in 2012.

The annual Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses was started in 1992.

“Two consecutive years of historically low workplace injuries and illnesses proves that we are taking the necessary steps to make sure Hoosiers across the state are safe at work,” Gov. Mike Pence said in a written statement. “I applaud the Indiana Department of Labor for its commitment and focus on employer and employee safety so we can continue to raise the bar on workplace wellbeing.”

The biggest improvement among the major Hoosier industries came in agriculture, which dropped to 3.6 incidents per 100 fulltime workers in 2013 compared with 7.2 per 100 in 2012.

Eleven of eighteen major industry categories experienced a reduction in non-fatal worker injuries and illnesses in 2013, the state said.

A full report is available here.

“Here in Indiana, we are seeing a culture shift with managers and employees actively taking ownership of their workplace safety and health programs,” Department of Labor Commissioner Rick J. Ruble said in a written statement.

Indiana also experienced a decline in farm fatalities in 2013, but a slight increase in overall workplace fatalities, separate reports disclosed earlier this year.