U.S. flag An official website of the United States government.
Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

i

Wisconsin Occupational Health Indicator Report: Summary of Worker Health and Safety Data for Years 2003 – 2012



Details

  • Corporate Authors:
    Wisconsin. Department of Health Services
  • Description:
    It is the mission of the Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Health (in the Wisconsin Division of Public Health) to promote the public's health through statewide programs that increase awareness of environmental and occupational health hazards and disease, and to reduce the morbidity and mortality of Wisconsin residents by preventing and controlling exposure to those hazards. The Wisconsin Occupational Health Program values a safe and healthy work environment for all people of Wisconsin and plans to continuously improve the safety of workers and the work environment through surveillance, education, and outreach. The program will track and evaluate work-related illness and injury in order to identify problem areas, inform Wisconsin residents about illness and injury in the workplace, and develop and implement effective interventions to prevent such incidents. The Wisconsin Occupational Health Program maintains a federally funded occupational health surveillance system and bases its activities around collecting detailed information for 22 indicators identified by the Council for State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). This report provides the most recent surveillance data available and is an update of the report, Occupational Health in Wisconsin - An Annual Report 2006.2 The intent of the Wisconsin Occupational Health Indicator Report is to: Describe the Wisconsin Occupational Health Program and its activities. Summarize data collected through indicators of occupational health and safety. Educate workers, employers, and community members to promote safe and healthy work conditions. Wisconsin data are available for the years 2003-2012 and are summarized for each indicator in this report, with comparisons to the latest available national estimate. Listed below are some key findings for Wisconsin: In 2012, Wisconsin had 72,900 non-fatal injuries and illnesses in the workplace. Rate declined during 2003-2012, although it remained higher than the national average in 2012. Total work-related injury and illness rate and rate involving days away from work decreased by 6% per year. Rates were highest in agriculture, forestry, fishing, and mining industries, followed by manufacturing. Top occupations for injuries and illnesses included laborers and freight, stock, and material movers; truck drivers; and nursing assistants. Sprains, strains, and tears were the main reasons for days away from work in 2012. Wisconsin's work-related hospitalization rate declined during 2003-2012 and was below the national average: Most work-related hospitalizations are for musculoskeletal disorders and acute injury. On average, there were 51 annual hospitalizations for work-related burns in Wisconsin during 2003-2012. Total pneumoconiosis, asbestosis, silicosis, and coal workers' pneumoconiosis hospitalization rates significantly decreased during 2003-2012. Low back disorder hospitalizations have declined an average of 12% per year. The rate of work-related severe traumatic injury hospitalizations declined an average of 4% per year. In 2012, Wisconsin had 114 fatalities in the workplace. The rate of fatal injuries in Wisconsin remains steady despite prevention efforts. The majority of work-related fatalities in Wisconsin occurred from motor vehicle operation (i.e., transportation) and in construction and farming occupations. The greatest percentage of fatalities occurred among workers older than 45 years of age, with a disproportionately high percentage among workers aged 65 years and older. The incidence rate of amputations filed with workers' compensation declined by 2% per year during 2003-2012. In 2012, there were 259 amputations filed with Wisconsin Workers' Compensation. Although work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in Wisconsin declined during 2003-2012, they continue to remain higher than the national average. The death rates for all pneumoconiosis, asbestosis, and silicosis, as well as malignant mesothelioma, decreased since 2003; however, the rates of mesothelioma in Wisconsin remain higher than national estimates. Prevalence and incidence of elevated blood lead levels in adults have declined since 2003. Wisconsin Workers' Compensation awards have increased during 2003-2012. Wisconsin workers' compensation benefits paid an average of $1.1 million per year, $407 per covered worker. The number of Wisconsin's occupational health professionals remained steady during 2003-2012. Similar to national estimates, Wisconsin has less than half of the American Medical Association-recommended professionals certified in occupational health needed to protect the health of its workers. Adults with asthma who reported that their asthma was caused or made worse by exposures at work ranged between 50% and 60% during 2011-2013, an average of 228,000 adults annually. [Description provided by NIOSH]
  • Subjects:
  • Keywords:
  • Publisher:
    Wisconsin Department of Health Services
  • Document Type:
    Text
  • Funding:
    Cooperative Agreement
  • Genre:
    Report
  • Place as Subject:
  • CIO:
    National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  • Topic:
    Workplace Safety & Health
  • Location:
    North America
  • Pages in Document:
    1-65
  • NIOSHTIC Number:
    nn:20066596
  • Citation:
    Madison, WI: Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 2016 Apr; :1-65
  • Federal Fiscal Year:
    2016
  • Performing Organization:
    Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Madison
  • Peer Reviewed:
    True
  • Start Date:
    20150701
  • Source Full Name:
    Wisconsin occupational health indicator report: summary of worker health and safety data for years 2003 - 2012
  • End Date:
    20260630
  • Collection(s):
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha-512:b2ba03295de8bfe244d2ead477a576ce5c79645d4a4612dfdd09bd9dd77c8f039d8998eeff278d67ecaaf5663c69b9ae6b01aa8ab18d869dfc7457202eaea5d7
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 5.68 MB ]
PREVIOUS
ON THIS PAGE
Details
CDC STACKS serves as an archival repository of CDC-published products including scientific findings, journal articles, guidelines, recommendations, or other public health information authored or co-authored by CDC or funded partners.

As a repository, CDC STACKS retains documents in their original published format to ensure public access to scientific information.
BACK TO TOP