Survey Shows New York Worker Injury And Workers’ Compensation Rates

How does the worker injury rate compare in New York compare to the worker injury rate in other state? And what percent of injured New York workers seek workers’ compensation?

According to the 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey, New York has the highest rate of worker injuries of the ten participating states, with 6.9 workers suffering injuries per 100 employees per year. The median number of injured workers per 100 workers was 5.9. The study, which was published in this week’s issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, also found that an average of 61 percent of injured workers received payment for their medical bills through workers’ compensation.

The findings of this new survey were population-based and self-reporting – two variables that researchers say gave them new insight into New York-level occupational injury statistics as employers often under report worker injuries.