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California injury rate remains at lowest level in a decade

Posted On: Nov. 14, 2016 10:52 AM CST

California injury rate remains at lowest level in a decade

More than 470,000 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses were reported by private sector and public sector employers in California in 2015, and the state’s incident rate has remained at its lowest point in more than a decade, according to a report from the California Department of Industrial Relations.

California’s overall incidence rate of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses was 3.8 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers in 2015, the industrial relations department said in the report released Thursday. The injury rate was 3.8 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers in 2014 and 4.8 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers in 2006.

In 2015, 77% of nonfatal reportable job-related injuries and illnesses in California occurred in private industry, while 23% occurred under public sector employers, the report found.

Transportation and material-moving occupations, food service workers, building and ground maintenance, and office and administrative support work had the largest number of lost-time injuries and illnesses, the industrial relations department said.

Among private sector workers, the highest number of lost-time injuries were caused by overexertion and bodily reaction, by contact with an object or piece of equipment, and by falls, trips, and slips, according to the report.