Work Related Injury In Connecticut Ergonomic injuries, such as back problems, tendonitis, sprains and strains, and carpal tunnel syndrome, are a serious and expensive workplace problem affecting the health of hundreds of thousands of workers and costing the U.S. economy billions of dollars annually. In 1998, almost six hundred thousand workers suffered ergonomic injuries that were so severe that theywere forced to take time off of work. Ergonomic injuries account for one-third of all occupational injuries and illnesses and constitute the single largest job-related injury and illness problem in the United States. The National Academy of Sciences has estimated that the costs of ergonomic injuries to employees, employers, and society as a whole can be conservatively estimated at $50 billion annually. The U.S. Department of Labor has worked for a decade to develop regulations to prevent ergonomic injuries. These regulations were finalized in November 2000. However, Congress is now considering repealing these regulations using the Congressional Review Act, a special legislative maneuver that has never been used before. In order to estimate the impact of a repeal of the ergonomics rule on Connecticut workers and on the state’s economy, Rep. Rosa DeLauro requested that the Special Investigations Division of the minority staff of the Committee on Government Reform conduct a study of ergonomic injuries in the state. This report, which is based on data obtained from the Bureau of Labor (BLS) statistics and cost estimates prepared by the National Academy of Sciences, presents the results of the investigation. The report finds that: Thousands of Connecticut workers suffer from ergonomic injuries. In 1998, 11,400 Connecticut workers suffered ergonomic injuries that were so severe that they were forced to miss at least one day of work. Ergonomic injuries accounted for over 40 percent of all occupational injuries that occurred in Connecticut. The ergonomic injury rate in Connecticut is significantly above the national average. In 1998, in the U.S. as a whole, 67 of every 10,000 workers suffered ergonomic injuries. In Connecticut, however, this rate was 40% higher, with 94 of every 10,000 workers suffering ergonomic injuries. Ergonomic injuries cost Connecticut’s economy one billion dollars each year. The analysis estimates that the total statewide cost of ergonomic injuries, including lost wages and lost economic productivity, was approximately one billion dollars in 1998.