The Injuries (from the U.S. Department of Labor)

Nonfatal injuries and illnesses, private industry

• Total recordable cases: 4,085,400 in 2006

• Cases involving days away from work: 1,183,500 in 2006

• Cases involving sprains, strains, tears: 503,530 in 2005

• Cases involving injuries to the back: 270,890 in 2005

• Cases involving falls: 255,750 in 2005

The Cost (from the Centers from Disease Control)

• Ultimately, injuries that occurred in 2000 will cause an estimated $326 billion in productivity losses (Finkelstein 2006).

• The value of productivity losses associated with injuries in 2000, even for less severe injuries, far exceeds the $80.2 billion in costs associated with medical treatment (Finkelstein 2006).

• Lost productivity accounts for 86% of the total costs of injuries for persons aged 25 to 44 years in 2000 (Finkelstein 2006).
• Injuries among males in 2000 accounted for $238.7 billion in productivity losses, 73%, of all productivity losses. This differential is partially driven by the different levels of earning potentials between men and women (Finkelstein 2006).