Fewer People Hurt at Work In '99, U.S. Government Says.

Workplace injuries and illnesses declined in 1999--the seventh year the numbers have fallen, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Injuries and illnesses dropped 4% in 1999, even though employment rose 2%, meaning 200,000 more workers went home without a job-related injury or illness than in 1998, the Labor Department said.

Workplace injury and illness rates have dropped nearly 30% since 1992, a trend that shows employers and workers are making occupational safety and health a high priority, Labor Secretary Alexis M. Herman said in a statement.

The national results are mirrored in Oklahoma, where job-related injuries and illnesses dropped about 9% in 1999, compared with 1998, according to a report by the state's Labor Department.

The "1999 Private Sector Occupational Injury and Illness Report Summary' found that of the 66,900 injuries and illnesses reported in 1999 in Oklahoma, 35,500, or 53%, required lost workdays with or without restricted work activity. The number reflects a drop of 3,000 from 1998.

Also, 47%, or 31,400 of the injuries and illnesses resulted in no lost workdays. The number reflects 3,600 fewer incidents without lost workdays than in 1998.

Viewing the report by incident rate, 3.5 per 100 workers in Oklahoma experienced lost workdays due to injury or illness, while 3.1 per 100 workers were able to remain on the job.

Although 1999 saw an overall decline in injuries/illnesses, two industries recorded increases in Oklahoma.

The finance, insurance and real estate sector saw injuries increase 33% to 1,200 incidents, or 1.9 per 100 workers. Incidents in the wholesale trade industry rose 3% to 6,000, an incident rate of 8.8 per 100 workers.