By Illinois Radio Network/Greg Bishop
SPRINGFIELD – On-the-job injuries in Illinois declined 3 percent in 2017 from the previous year, according to a report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
There were 108,200 nonfatal injuries in the private sector in Illinois in 2017, down from 111,600 in 2016, according to the report. More than a third of the injuries in 2017 required employees to take time off work.
Safer work environments are one reason for the decline, said Ron Rascia, general counsel, secretary and ethics officer of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission
“I think that workplaces necessarily are made to be safer these days,” he said.
In Illinois, the health care and social assistance industry reported the most injuries (21,300), followed by manufacturing (18,100), transportation and warehousing (10,900) and construction (5,300) industries.
The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission gets funding for its $31 million operating budget through the underwriting of workers’ comp policies by insurance companies and the payments from insured entities when an injury claim is filed, Rascia said.