State labor and job safety officials say the Massachusetts workplace was safer in 2006 than it was in 2005.
The state Division of Occupational Safety ‘s occupational injury and illness survey found that work-related non-fatal illnesses and injuries dropped by more than 7 percent between 2005 and 2006. The number of workplace fatalities dropped by more than 13 percent during the same period.
The survey also found that Massachusetts workplaces are safer than those in other states. The education and health services sector had the highest number of injuries and illnesses in 2006, with 24,200. The construction industry had the highest illness and injury incident rate, at 6.4 cases per 100 full-time workers.
