Voluntary 1st non-response letter

U.S. Department of Labor

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

Dear Employer:
In January of this year, you were asked to complete the enclosed Survey of Occupational Injuries and
Illnesses. 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. While your participation is
voluntary, it is important in providing information that will help protect workers.
We asked you to respond to the survey within 30 days and our records show that we have not yet
received your response. Without the cooperation of State and local governments in States such as yours
that do not have a State plan, we would not be able to produce national estimates of workplace injuries
and illnesses for State and local governments. The State and local government sector employs over 14
percent of the American workforce and its inclusion in the survey is vital to improving our knowledge of
the number, frequency, and types of work-related injuries and illnesses occurring in the workplace.
Reporting does not need to be time consuming. You can submit your survey response in many ways:
online, obtaining a fillable form through e-mail, or requesting and completing the paper survey form 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 label of the survey form.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, its employees, agents, and partner statistical agencies will use the
information you record this year and provide next year 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 consent.
Please take the time to complete this survey. Your response provides us with the information we need to
produce reliable statistics of the number and rate of injuries and illnesses in State and local governments.
These statistics will allow safety and health professionals to make informed decisions about workplace
safety throughout the United States.
Sincerely,

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