The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recently released the 2015 Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation and Workplace Safety Annual Report (the “Report”). The data provided in this publication is gathered from reports filed with the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and Department of Labor & Industry of injuries and illnesses in 2015 to workers employed by businesses covered by the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act. The Report is based on data reported to the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation as of January 12, 2016. We’ll be reviewing the findings of this report in the next two weeks. Stay tuned!
*Over 18,500 claims did not include the gender of the injured worker. Of the 166,102 injuries and illness claims reported in 2015, 147,476 claims reported the gender of the injured worker.
*58.4 percent of reported injured workers were male.
*65 fatality cases were reported in 2015, 58 were male, four were female, and three did not disclose gender. The greatest number of fatalities (11) occurred in the 55-59 age group, followed by 10 in the 50-54 age group.
* The median age of all injured workers in 2015 was 42.2 years, down from 42.7 years in 2014. The median age of injured male workers was 41.6, while the median age of female workers was 42.9.
*Workers in the 25-29 age group sustained the greatest number of injuries in 2015 (19,854, 12.0 percent), followed by the 50-54 age group (19,846, 11.9 percent).
*By industry, the median age of injured workers ranged from 32.0 years in leisure and hospitality services to 46.4 years in financial activities.
*A significant decrease of 31.7% in mining injuries correlated to a drop in mining employment occurring from 2014 to 2015 rather than any major change in safety procedures or regulations.
*Over 65 percent (109,367 cases) of the 166,102 injury and illness cases reported in 2015 occurred in three particular major industries: Educational & Health Services (45,221 cases, 27.2 percent); Trade, Transportation & Utilities (41,855 cases, 25.2 percent); and Manufacturing (22,291 cases, 13.4 percent).
* In 2015, over 40 percent (68,469) of the 166,102 reported cases originated from ten of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. The greatest number of cases came from Allegheny (14,015, 8.4 %), next were Philadelphia (13,612, 8.2%), Montgomery (7,481, 4.5%), Lancaster (5,910, 3.6%), Berks (5,390, 3.2%), Bucks (5,100, 3.1%), Chester (4,666, 2.8%), Lehigh (4,133, 2.5%), York (4,188, 2.5%), and Delaware (4,044, 2.4%). Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, and Wyoming counties were all absent from this list.
Accidents happen in the workplace. Other circumstances may also arise in the workplace causing worker injury. For 110 years, Powell Law has litigated Pennsylvania workers compensation actions and obtained benefits for injured Pennsylvania workers. At Powell Law, we effectively assist clients throughout the entire workers’ compensation claims process. Consult an experienced Pennsylvania workers’ compensation attorney. Contact Powell Law at (570) 961-0777. The consultation is FREE!
