FRANKFORT, Ky. — The state’s recordable, nonfatal occupational injury and illness rate has fallen to the lowest point on record. The total recordable incidence rate for all industries fell to the lowest level since the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) began recording the data in 1996.
The fiscal year 2020 rate, based on 2019 BLS data, was 3.2 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers. Kentucky’s rate in 1996 was 8.4 when BLS began recording the data.
Kentucky’s incidence rate still remains slightly higher than the national average of 3.0, but the state has made strides toward closing the gap in recent years. The incidence rate was 4.5 in 2014, 3.8 in 2015, 3.7 in 2016, 3.4 in 2017, 3.3 in 2018, and 3.4 in 2019.
The fiscal year 2020 lost time case rate for injuries and illnesses, established from the fiscal year 2019 BLS data, was 1.6, matching the state’s previous record low rate achieved in 2019. Lost time injury and illness case rates are defined as days away from work without job restrictions or transfers.
The Kentucky Labor Cabinet is responsible for enforcing occupational safety and health (OSH) standards at workplaces throughout the commonwealth. Investigators within the Labor Cabinet’s Division of OSH Compliance inspect workplaces to identify unsafe, hazardous, or unhealthy environments, stop practices that pose dangers, and cite companies who fail to uphold safety standards.
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