HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018 Injury Report IntranetDate:February 11, 2019
To:Department Directors and Division Heads
From:Mike Buser, Occupational Safety Specialist
Re:Annual Injury Incident Rates for 2018
This memo is a summary of the impact of work related injuries to the City’s employees in 2018.Although
the human toll of suffering and pain from an injury is immeasurable, the financial impact of an injury is
significant.
Workers Compensation Costs
In Fiscal Year 2018, the costs of workers compensation claims was $326,247or $13,049.88 per
recordable injury. In Fiscal Year 2017, the cost of workers compensation claims was roughly $698,142
or $18,868.70 per recordable injury.Total Workers compensation claims and the cost per injury for fiscal
years 2008 through 2018, is shown in the following chart (Police and Fire are included Starting
January 2014).
$547,920
$212,414
$318,033
$220,906
$920,039
$697,899
$571,561
$801,854
$542,548
$698,142
$326,247
$6,601 $2,795 $4,357 $3,945 $15,863 $13,684 $12,161 $19,092 $13,564 $18,869 $13,050
$0
$100,000
$200,000
$300,000
$400,000
$500,000
$600,000
$700,000
$800,000
$900,000
$1,000,000
FY 08 FY 09 FY 10 FY11 FY 12 FY 13 FY 14 FY 15 FY 16 FY 17 FY 18
Workers Compensation Costs
Total Cost cost/recordable injury
February 11, 2019
Page 2
Injury Rate/Injuries by Type
The City’s “All City”injury rate was 3.39% in 2018 which means that 3.39% of the work force was injured
in 2018.The “All City” injury rate of 3.39% is a decrease from 4.95% in 2017. Recordable incidents also
decreased by twelve recordable injuries over the previous year.
The top injuries for 2018 were strains, and Slips, Trips, Falls. In 2017 were strains, slips/trips/falls, other,
bites, and being struck by or against. There was a decrease in most everything and an increase in
slips/trips/falls and cuts or punctures.
The following chart shows the number of injuries by type from 2009 to 2018.
Lost Days due to Injury
The Lost Day Rate for the City was 1.36% for 2018. This was slightly lower than the 2017 rate of
2.00%. There was also a decrease in our Lost Day Severity Rate, 0.35 in 2018, versus 0.77 for 2017.
This rate equates to every employee missing 0.35 days of work in 2018. The Restricted Day Rate; was
lower in 2018 (0.24) than in 2017 (0.48). This equates to 0.24 days of work restriction for every City
employee in 2018. The following chart shows the percent of employees that were injured and whether
or not they missed work from 2008 to 2018.
The Departments/Divisions that had no recordable injuries for 2018 were: Airport, City Attorney,
Cemetery, City Clerk, City Manager/Human Rights/Communications/Cable TV/Economic Development,
Engineering/Stormwater, Equipment, Finance, Housing Authority, Human Resources, Neighborhood and
Development Services, Transportation Services-Parking, Parks/Forestry/Ball Fields, Senior Center, and
Solid Waste.
The Departments/Divisions that had no lost time or restricted injuries for 2018, in addition to those listed
above, were: Animal Services, Landfill, and Library.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
2,008 2,009 2,010 2,011 2,012 2,013 2,014 2,015 2,016 2,017 2,018
Injury Rates
Cuts or punctures Exposure to Disease Lifting or Carrying
Slips, Trips, or Falls Strains Struck by or Against
Caught In, Under, or Between Physical Training Chemical Exposure
Repetitive Motion Eye Injuries Bites
Other
February 11, 2019
Page 3
Summary
Over the past ten years, the overall trends indicate that the City’s safety programs are making a difference
in making the work place safer and reducing lost time due to injury. Despite this positive trend, we believe
that any injury is significant especially to the employee that was injured. The focus of the City’s safety
programs continues to be on safe behaviors and safe conditions while updating the hazard risk
assessments.
The Safety Certification Award in its forth full year, supports the aspects of completing Incident Report
Forms/(finding root cause and prevention measures), Job Hazard Analysis, Safety Training/Audit Matrix
(tracking), Safety Talks/Toolbox Talks (starting the day in the right frame of mind-plugged in and
attentive), and Non-Punitive Close Call reporting (finding areas as a proactive means to prevent
incidents). There continues to be expanding interest in this program.
Should you have questions about injury rates or if you would like to talk about ways to reduce injuries in
your workplace, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Mike Buser
mike-buser@iowa-city.org
319-356-5427
Cc: Melissa Miller, Revenue and Risk Manager
0.0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
10.0%
12.0%
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Percent of Employees Injured/Missing Work
Percent of employees injured - Missed Work Percent of employees injured - No Lost Work