Survey of Occupational Injuries and Ilnesses - State and Local

U.S. Department of Labor

Bureau of Labor Statistics
2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20212

Dear employer,
As the manager of a State or Local government organization you are asked to complete the
enclosed Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. Your particpation is voluntary and you
may disregard the words "mandatory" and "required" in the data collection booklet. The
Occupational Safety and Health Act includes language that requires the Secretary of Labor to
“develop and maintain an effective program of collection, compilation, and analysis of
occupational safety and health statistics.” The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses,
conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is part of this data collection program.
Most States have already been collecting and tabulating State and local government injury and
illness data as part of their State plans developed under section 18 of the Act. The Bureau of
Labor Statistics is expanding the scope of the Survey to include those States that do not now
collect these data, in order to produce national estimates of workplace injuries and illnesses for
State and Local governments. Without the voluntary cooperation of State and Local
governments in States such as yours that do not have a State plan, these national estimates are
not possible. Broadening the scope of our survey by adding those sectors that employ over 14
percent of the American workforce will significantly improve our knowledge of the number,
frequency, and types of work-related injuries and illnesses. To accomplish this we need your
response to our survey request.
Reporting does not need to be time consuming. You can submit your survey response in many
ways: online, using e-mail, or completing the survey and returning it using standard US mail. In
many cases, substitute forms or photocopies of forms already prepared for your State Workers’
Compensation Agency can be accepted. If you need assistance we have included contact
phone numbers on the last page of the survey form.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, its employees, agents, and partner statistical agencies will use
the information you provide for statistical purposes only and will hold the information in
confidence to the full extent permitted by law. In accordance with the Confidential Information
Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (Title 5 of Public Law 107-347) and other
applicable Federal Laws, your responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your
informed consent.
Please take the time to complete the enclosed survey. The information is important in reducing
work-related injuries and illnesses.
Sincerely,

John W. Ruser, Ph.D
Assistant Commissioner
Office of Safety, Health and Working Conditions
Bureau of Labor Statistics