GAO Review of Efforts to Ensure Accuracy of Injury and Illness Data Available to Purchase

In 2007, there were approximately 4 million cases in which workers in the United States were injured or became ill as a result of unsafe or unhealthy working conditions, and more than 5,600 workers died as a result of their injuries, according to data reported by the Department of Labor's (DOL) Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The rate of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses (hereafter referred to as injuries and illnesses) among private sector employers as reported by BLS in 2007 has generally declined since 1992; the rate of worker fatalities decreased from 1992 to 2001, and has remained relatively constant since 2002. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act), DOL's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is responsible for protecting the safety and health of the nation's workers. The OSH Act requires DOL to collect and compile accurate statistics on worker injuries and illnesses. One of two sources of these statistics is BLS's Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), which provides nationwide data on workers' injuries and illnesses in most industries. The other is OSHA's survey of selected employers' injury and illness records called the OSHA Data Initiative (ODI), which provides injury and illness data for workers in high hazard industries. The OSH Act and DOL regulations require employers with more than 10 employees to record other than minor injuries and illnesses on logs maintained at each worksite. However, 83 percent of all employers are generally not required to record work-related injuries and illnesses, either because the employers are too small (have fewer than 11 employees) or because they are in industries with historically low rates of injuries and illnesses and have thus been exempted by OSHA from recording injuries and illnesses.