Workplace Safety/Workers Comp
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WORKERS COMPENSATION INSURANCE
Workers compensation insurance provides for the cost of medical care and rehabilitation for injured workers. It also provides for lost wages and death benefits for the dependents of persons killed in work-related accidents. Workers compensation systems vary from state to state.
Workers compensation combined ratios are expressed in two ways. Calendar year results reflect claim payments and changes in reserves for accidents that happened in that year or earlier. Accident year results only include losses from a particular year and may present a better picture of the industry’s performance at a given point in time.
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WORKERS COMPENSATION INSURANCE, 1999-2006
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Combined ratio (2) |
Year |
Net premiums written (1) ($000) |
Annual percent change |
Calendar year (3) |
Annual point change |
Accident year (3) |
Annual point change |
| 1999 | $23,090,325 | -4.7% | 120.0 | NA | 140 | 9 pts. |
| 2000 | 26,185,928 | 13.4 | 114.9 | -5.1 pts. | 135 | -5 |
| 2001 | 27,123,299 | 3.6 | 117.3 | 2.4 | 123 | -12 |
| 2002 | 30,612,127 | 12.9 | 108.7 | -8.6 | 104 | -19 |
| 2003 | 32,919,340 | 7.5 | 108.9 | 0.2 | 96 | -8 |
| 2004 | 36,734,514 | 11.6 | 105.5 | -3.4 | 88 | -8 |
| 2005 | 39,724,355 | 8.1 | 100.5 | -5.0 | 87 | -1 |
| 2006 | 41,825,979 | 5.3 | 93.8 | -6.7 | 87 (4) | 0 |
(1) After reinsurance transactions, excluding state funds.
(2) After dividends to policyholders. A drop in the combined ratio represents an improvement; an increase represents a deterioration. See also Glossary.
(3) Calendar year data are from National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Annual Statement Database, via Highline Data, LLC. Accident year data are from the National Council on Compensation Insurance.
(4) Preliminary.
NA=Data not available.
Source: National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Annual Statement Database, via Highline Data, LLC. Copyrighted information. No portion of this work may be copied or redistributed without the express written permission of Highline Data, LLC; National Council on Compensation Insurance. |
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TOP TEN OCCUPATIONS WITH THE LARGEST NUMBER OF INJURIES AND ILLNESSES, 2006 (1)
(000)
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CAUSES OF WORKPLACE DEATHS
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the most dangerous occupations in 2006 were fishing workers, with 141.7 deaths per 100,000 employees, followed by aircraft pilots and flight engineers, logging workers, iron and steel workers and waste collectors. The all-industry average was 3.9 deaths per 100,000 workers.
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WORKPLACE DEATHS BY CAUSE, 2001-2006 (1)
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2006 |
Cause |
2001-2005
average |
2005 |
Number |
Percent of total |
| All transportation (includes vehicle crashes) | 2,451 | 2,493 | 2,413 | 42% |
| Vehicle crashes | 1,394 | 1,437 | 1,329 | 23 |
| Contact with objects and equipment | 952 | 1,005 | 983 | 17 |
| Assaults and violence (includes homicides) | 850 | 792 | 754 | 13 |
| Homicides | 602 | 567 | 516 | 9 |
| Falls | 763 | 770 | 809 | 14 |
| Exposure to harmful substances or environments | 498 | 501 | 525 | 9 |
| Fires and explosions | 174 | 159 | 201 | 4 |
| Total workplace fatalities | 5,704 | 5,734 | 5,703 | 100% |
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(1) From intentional and unintentional sources.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. |
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