Key points
Emergency Medical Services clinician injury data for years 2016 - 2020.
2020
The NEISS-Work data in the tables below include all nonfatal injuries that occurred during the performance of paid or volunteer EMS duties. “Firefighters” were included when they were injured while performing EMS duties such as patient care, patient transport, patient rescue, or working in an ambulance.
Table 1: Among EMS clinicians treated in emergency departments (EDs) for an occupational injury, the majority of clinicians were men. More than half of the injured EMS clinicians were less than 35 years of age.
Number of injuriesa | 95% confidence interval | Percent | |
---|---|---|---|
Total | 16,900 | (9,200, 24,700) | 100 |
Sex | |||
Male | 9,900 | (4,900, 14,900) | 59 |
Female | 7,000 | (3,800, 10,200) | 41 |
Age group (in yrs) | |||
<25 | 2,800 | (1,500, 4,000) | 16 |
25-34 | 7,000b | (2,700, 11,300) | 41 |
35-44 | 3,800b | (1,500, 6,100) | 22 |
>44 | 3,300 | (1,800, 4,900) | 20 |
a Numbers do not add to totals or 100 because of rounding.
b This estimate is provided for information only as the variance does not meet NEISS-Work reporting requirements. Use this number with caution as the higher variance indicates it is less stable than other reported estimates.
Table 2: Among EMS clinician injuries, sprains and strains were the most common diagnosis. Most injuries affected the hand and upper trunk. The greatest portion of injuries involved overexertions and bodily reactions. The second most common injury event was violence. For all of the EMS injuries, the most common sources which directly produced the injury were the EMS clinician themselves or another person such as a patient.
Number of injuriesa | 95% confidence interval | Percenta | |
---|---|---|---|
Total | 16,900 | (9,200, 24,700) | 100 |
Diagnosis | |||
Sprains & strains | 4,000 | (1,900, 6,200) | 24 |
Contusions/abrasions | 2,600 | (1,000, 4,100) | 15 |
Body part affected | |||
Leg, including foot | 3,200b | (1,000, 5,300) | 19 |
Upper trunk, inc. neck & shoulder | 3,000 | (1,300, 4,700) | 18 |
Arm | 2,200 | (1,000, 3,500) | 13 |
Lower trunk | 2,200b | (700, 3,600) | 13 |
Hand & finger | 1,900 | (1,000, 2,800) | 11 |
Eventc | |||
Overexertion & bodily reaction (7) | 5,200b | (2,000, 8,400) | 31 |
Violence (1) | 3,000 | (1,300, 4,700) | 18 |
Harmful exposures (5) | 2,500 | (1,300, 3,600) | 15 |
Transportation incidents | 2,500b | (800, 4,300) | 15 |
Contact with objects & equipment (6) | 2,100 | (1,100, 3,100) | 12 |
Falls, slips, trips (4) | 1,600b | (500, 2,700) | 10 |
Sourcec | |||
Persons, plants, animals, & minerals (5)d | 9,000 | (4,800, 13,300) | 53 |
Vehicles (8) | 4,100 | (1,800, 6,300) | 24 |
Tools, instruments, and equipment (7) | 1,800 | (800, 2,900) | 11 |
Discharge disposition from ED | |||
Treated and released | 16,600 | (9,000, 24,300) | 98 |
a Numbers and percentages do not add to totals or 100 because of rounding and omission of data not meeting NEISS-Work reporting requirements.
b This estimate is provided for information only as the variance does not meet NEISS-Work reporting requirements. Use this number with caution as the higher variance indicates it is less stable than other reported estimates.
c Events and sources are coded using Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) (version 2.01). The numbers in parentheses after each category represent major division codes in the OIICS hierarchical coding structure.
d The majority of these injuries involved other people or bodily motion of the injured worker themselves.
Table 3: More than one-third of sprain and strain injuries involved the EMS clinician’s upper trunk. Many sprains and strains, but not all, were noted in connection with bodily reactions or exertion. Falls and various other injury events were occasionally related to sprains or strains but were not reportable in 2020.
Number of injuriesa | 95% confidence interval | Percenta | |
---|---|---|---|
Total sprain and strain injuries | 4,000 | (1,900, 6,200) | 24 |
Body part affected | |||
Lower and upper trunk, inc. neck & shoulder | 1,800 | (800, 2,700) | 44 |
Lower extremity | 1,600b | (400, 2,800) | 40 |
Eventb | |||
Overexertion & bodily reaction | 2,300c | (800, 3,800) | 56 |
Sourceb | |||
Persons, plants, animals, and mineralsd | 2,300c | (800, 3,700) | 57 |
a Numbers and percentages do not add to totals or 100 because of rounding and omission of data not meeting NEISS-Work reporting requirements.
b Events and sources are coded using Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) (version 2.01). The numbers in parentheses after each category represent codes in the OIICS hierarchical coding structure.
c This estimate is provided for information only as the variance does not meet NEISS-Work reporting requirements. Use this number with caution as the higher variance indicates it is less stable than other reported estimates.
d The majority of these injuries involved other people or bodily motion of the injured worker themselves.
2019
Table 1: Among EMS clinicians treated in emergency departments (EDs) for an occupational injury, the majority of clinicians were men. About half of the injured EMS clinicians were less than 35 years of age.
Number of injuriesa | 95% confidence interval | Percent | |
---|---|---|---|
Total | 17,500 | (9,600, 25,300) | 100 |
Sex | |||
Male | 10,600 | (5,500, 15,600) | 61 |
Female | 6,900 | (3,400, 10,300) | 39 |
Age group (in yrs) | |||
<25 | 1,900 | (900, 3,000) | 11 |
25-34 | 7,100 | (3,300, 11,000) | 41 |
35-44 | 4,500 | (2,000, 7,100) | 26 |
>44 | 3,900 | (2,200, 5,600) | 22 |
a Numbers do not add to totals or 100 because of rounding.
Table 2: Among EMS clinician injuries, sprains and strains were the most common diagnosis. Most injuries affected the hand and upper trunk. The greatest portion of injuries involved overexertions and bodily reactions. The second most common injury event was violence. For all of the EMS injuries, the most common sources which directly produced the injury were the EMS clinician themselves or another person such as a patient.
Number of injuriesa | 95% confidence interval | Percenta | |
---|---|---|---|
Total | 17,500 | (9,600, 25,300) | 100 |
Diagnosis | |||
Sprains & strains | 3,600b | (1,400, 5,800) | 21 |
Contusions/abrasions | 3,400 | (1,300, 5,400) | 19 |
Body part affected | |||
Hand & finger | 3,000 | (1,700, 4,200) | 17 |
Upper trunk, inc. neck & shoulder | 2,900b | (1,100, 4,700) | 17 |
Lower trunk | 2,800 | (1,400, 4,300) | 16 |
Leg, including foot | 2,400 | (1,000, 3,700) | 13 |
Arm | 2,200b | (800, 3,600) | 13 |
Eventc | |||
Overexertion & bodily reaction (7) | 4,600 | (2,100, 7,100) | 27 |
Violence (1) | 3,600 | (1,600, 5,500) | 20 |
Harmful exposures (5) | 3,300 | (1,600, 4,900) | 19 |
Contact with objects & equipment (6) | 2,700 | (1,200, 4,200) | 16 |
Falls, slips, trips (4) | 2,000 | (900, 3,100) | 12 |
Sourcec | |||
Persons, plants, animals, & minerals (5)d | 10,200 | (5,300, 15,000) | 58 |
Tools, instruments, and equipment (7) | 2,000b | (600, 3,300) | 11 |
Structures and surfaces (6) | 1,900b | (700, 3,100) | 11 |
Vehicles (8) | 1,800 | (800, 2,900) | 11 |
Discharge disposition from ED | |||
Treated and released | 17,000 | (9,000, 24,800) | 97 |
a Numbers and percentages do not add to totals or 100 because of rounding and omission of data not meeting NEISS-Work reporting requirements.
b This estimate is provided for information only as the variance does not meet NEISS-Work reporting requirements. Use this number with caution as the higher variance indicates it is less stable than other reported estimates.
c Events and sources are coded using Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) (version 2.01). The numbers in parentheses after each category represent major division codes in the OIICS hierarchical coding structure.
d The majority of these injuries involved other people or bodily motion of the injured worker themselves.
Table 3: More than one-third of sprain and strain injuries involved the EMS clinician’s upper trunk. Many sprains and strains, but not all, were noted in connection with bodily reactions or exertion. Falls and various other injury events were occasionally related to sprains or strains but were not reportable in 2019. Almost 50% of all sprain and strain injuries were related to interactions with another person.
Number of injuriesa | 95% confidence interval | Percenta | |
---|---|---|---|
Total sprain and strain injuries | 3,600c | (1,400, 5,800) | 21 |
Body part affected | |||
Lower and upper trunk, inc. neck & shoulder | 2,300 | (1,000, 3,600) | 63 |
Eventb | |||
Overexertion & bodily reaction | 2,600c | (1,000, 4,100) | 70 |
Sourceb | |||
Person other than the worker (57) | 2,000c | (700, 3,300) | 56 |
a Numbers and percentages do not add to totals or 100 because of rounding and omission of data not meeting NEISS-Work reporting requirements.
b Events and sources are coded using Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) (version 2.01). The numbers in parentheses after each category represent codes in the OIICS hierarchical coding structure.
c This estimate is provided for information only as the variance does not meet NEISS-Work reporting requirements. Use this number with caution as the higher variance indicates it is less stable than other reported estimates.
2018
Table 1: Among EMS clinicians treated in emergency departments (EDs) for an occupational injury, the majority of clinicians were men. More than half of the injured EMS clinicians were less than 35 years of age.
Number of injuriesa | 95% confidence interval | Percent | |
---|---|---|---|
Total | 19,800 | (9,600, 30,100) | 100 |
Sex | |||
Male | 12,300 | (5,900, 18,800) | 62 |
Female | 7,500 | (3,300, 11,700) | 38 |
Age group (in yrs) | |||
<25 | 2,700 | (1,200, 4,100) | 14 |
25-34 | 8,400b | (2,300, 14,600) | 43 |
35-44 | 5,300 | (2,700, 7,800) | 26 |
>44 | 3,500 | (1,800, 5,100) | 17 |
a Numbers do not add to totals or 100 because of rounding.
b This estimate is provided for information only as the variance does not meet NEISS-Work reporting requirements. Use this number with caution as the higher variance indicates it is less stable than other reported estimates.
Table 2: Among EMS clinician injuries, sprains and strains were the most common diagnosis. Most injuries affected the upper trunk and leg. The greatest portion of injuries involved overexertions and bodily reactions. The second most common injury event was exposures to harmful substances such as potentially infectious materials (e.g., body fluids). For all of the EMS injuries, the most common sources which directly produced the injury were the EMS clinician themselves or another person such as a patient.
Number of injuriesa | 95% confidence interval | Percenta | |
---|---|---|---|
Total | 19,800 | (9,600, 30,100) | 100 |
Diagnosis | |||
Sprains & strains | 5,800b | (1,700, 9,800) | 29 |
Contusions/abrasions | 2,300 | (1,100, 3,600) | 12 |
Body part affected | |||
Upper trunk, inc. neck & shoulder | 3,200b | (500, 5,900) | 16 |
Leg, including foot | 3,200 | (1,500, 4,800) | 16 |
Hand & finger | 2,900 | (1,600, 4,100) | 15 |
Lower trunk | 2,700b | (1,100, 4,400) | 14 |
Arm | 1,700b | (400, 3,000) | 9 |
Eventc | |||
Overexertion & bodily reaction (7) | 5,500b | (1,700, 9,200) | 28 |
Harmful exposures (5) | 4,700 | (2,500, 6,900) | 23 |
Violence (1) | 3,300b | (200, 6,400) | 17 |
Contact with objects & equipment (6) | 2,600 | (1,500, 3,800) | 13 |
Transportation incidents (2) | 2,200b | (700, 3,600) | 11 |
Sourcec | |||
Persons, plants, animals, & minerals (5)d | 12,300b | (4,700, 19,900) | 62 |
Vehicles (8) | 3,400 | (1,700, 5,200) | 17 |
Discharge disposition from ED | |||
Treated and released | 19,500 | (9,200, 29,700) | 98 |
a Numbers and percentages do not add to totals or 100 because of rounding and omission of data not meeting NEISS-Work reporting requirements.
b This estimate is provided for information only as the variance does not meet NEISS-Work reporting requirements. Use this number with caution as the higher variance indicates it is less stable than other reported estimates.
c Events and sources are coded using Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) (version 2.01). The numbers in parentheses after each category represent major division codes in the OIICS hierarchical coding structure.
d The majority of these injuries involved other people or bodily motion of the injured worker themselves.
Table 3: The majority of sprain and strain injuries involved the EMS clinician’s trunk. Many sprains and strains, but not all, were noted in connection with bodily reactions or exertion. Falls and various other injury events were occasionally related to sprains or strains.
Number of injuriesa | 95% confidence interval | Percenta | |
---|---|---|---|
Total sprain and strain injuries | 5,800b | (1,700, 9,800) | 29 |
Body part affected | |||
Lower trunk | 1,600b | (600, 2,600) | 28 |
Eventc | |||
Overexertion & bodily reaction | 3,800b | (900, 6,600) | 65 |
Sourcec | |||
Person, plants, animals, and mineralsd | 3,700b | (600, 6,700) | 63 |
a Numbers and percentages do not add to totals or 100 because of rounding and omission of data not meeting NEISS-Work reporting requirements.
b This estimate is provided for information only as the variance does not meet NEISS-Work reporting requirements. Use this number with caution as the higher variance indicates it is less stable than other reported estimates.
c Events and sources are coded using Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) (version 2.01). The numbers in parentheses after each category represent codes in the OIICS hierarchical coding structure.
d The majority of these injuries involved other people or bodily motion of the injured worker themselves.
2017
Number of injuries | 95% confidence interval | Percent | |
---|---|---|---|
Total | 21,200 | (12,800, 29,700) | 100 |
Sex | |||
Male | 14,800 | (8,900, 20,600) | 70 |
Female | 6,500 | (3,300, 9,600) | 30 |
Age group (in yrs) | |||
<25 | 3,700 | (1,800, 5,500) | 17 |
25-34 | 9,300 | (4,900, 13,600) | 44 |
35-44 | 4,500 | (2,600, 6,300) | 21 |
>44 | 3,800 | (2,400, 5,200) | 18 |
Table 2: Among EMS clinician injuries, sprains and strains were the most common diagnosis. Most injuries affected the hands and fingers and upper trunk. The greatest portion of injuries involved overexertions and bodily reactions. About 40% of the overexertion and bodily reaction events were specifically identified as overexertion during lifting. The second most common event related to injuries was exposures to harmful substances such as potentially infectious materials (e.g., body fluids). For all of the EMS injuries, the most common sources which directly produced the injury were the EMS clinician themselves or another person such as a patient.
Number of injuriesa | 95% confidence interval | Percenta | |
---|---|---|---|
Total | 21,200 | (12,800, 29,700) | 100 |
Diagnosis | |||
Sprains & strains | 5,700 | (3,400, 8,100) | 27 |
Contusions/abrasions | 2,700b | (900, 4,600) | 13 |
Puncture and laceration | 1,600 | (700, 2,500) | 8 |
Body part affected | |||
Hand & finger | 4,100 | (2,500, 5,700) | 19 |
Upper trunk, inc. neck & shoulder | 3,500 | (1,800, 5,200) | 17 |
Lower trunk | 3,100 | (2,000, 4,300) | 15 |
Leg, including foot | 3,100 | (1,700, 4,600) | 15 |
Arm | 2,200b | (800, 3,500) | 10 |
Eventc | |||
Overexertion & bodily reaction (7) | 5,800 | (3,500, 8,100) | 27 |
Harmful exposures (5) | 5,500 | (3,300, 6,200) | 26 |
Violence (1) | 3,500b | (800, 5,800) | 17 |
Contact with objects & equipment (6) | 2,200 | (1,100, 3,300) | 10 |
Falls, slips, trips (4) | 1,700b | (700, 2,700) | 8 |
Sourcec | |||
Persons, plants, animals, & minerals (5)d | 12,000 | (6,300, 17,700) | 57 |
Vehicles (8) | 4,000 | (2,200, 5,800) | 19 |
Tools, instruments, and equipment (7) | 2,300 | (1,200, 3,400) | 11 |
Discharge disposition from ED | |||
Treated and released | 21,000 | (12,600, 29,600) | 99 |
a Numbers and percentages do not add to totals or 100 because of rounding and omission of data not meeting NEISS-Work reporting requirements.
b This estimate is provided for information only as the variance does not meet NEISS-Work reporting requirements. Use this number with caution as the higher variance indicates it is less stable than other reported estimates.
c Events and sources are coded using Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) (version 2.01). The numbers in parentheses after each category represent major division codes in the OIICS hierarchical coding structure.
d The majority of these injuries involved other people or bodily motion of the injured worker themselves.
Table 3: The majority of sprain and strain injuries involved the EMS clinician’s trunk. Many sprains and strains, but not all, were noted in connection with bodily reactions or exertion. Falls and various other injury events were occasionally related to sprains or strains. Almost 40% of all sprain and strain injuries were related to interactions with a patient.
Number of injuriesa | 95% confidence interval | Percenta | |
---|---|---|---|
Total | 5,800 | (3,500, 8,100) | 27 |
Body part affected | |||
Lower trunk | 1,800 | (1,000, 2,600) | 32 |
Lower extremity | 1,800 | (900, 2,700) | 32 |
Upper trunk, inc. neck & shoulder | 1,400 | (600, 2,200) | 24 |
Eventc | |||
Overexertion & bodily reaction | 3,900 | (2,100, 5,700) | 69 |
Sourceb | |||
Patient (574) | 2,100 | (1,100, 3,200) | 37 |
a Numbers and percentages do not add to totals or 100 because of rounding and omission of data not meeting NEISS-Work reporting requirements.
b Events and sources are coded using Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS). The numbers in parentheses after each category represent codes in the OIICS hierarchical coding structure.
2016
Table 1: Among EMS clinicians treated in emergency departments (EDs) for an occupational injury, the majority of clinicians were men. Just over half of the injured EMS clinicians were less than 35 years of age.
Number of injuries | 95% confidence interval | Percenta | |
---|---|---|---|
Total | 21,900 | (13,900, 29,800) | 100 |
Sex | |||
Male | 13,900 | (8,100, 19,700) | 64 |
Female | 8,000 | (4,900, 11,000) | 36 |
Age group (in yrs) | |||
<25 | 3,000 | (1,500, 4,600) | 14 |
25-34 | 8,500 | (4,700, 12,200) | 39 |
35-44 | 5,600 | (3,100, 8,100) | 26 |
>44 | 4,800 | (2,900, 6,700) | 22 |
a Percentages do not add to 100 because of rounding.
Table 2: Among EMS clinician injuries, sprains and strains were the most common diagnosis. Most injuries affected the upper trunk and hands and fingers. The greatest portion of injuries involved overexertions and bodily reactions. More than 40% of the overexertion and bodily reaction events were specifically identified as overexertion during lifting. The second most common event related to injuries was exposures to harmful substances such as potentially infectious materials (e.g., body fluids). For all of the EMS injuries, the most common sources which directly produced the injury were the EMS clinician themselves or another person such as a patient.
Number of injuriesa | 95% confidence interval | Percenta | |
---|---|---|---|
Total | 21,900 | (13,900, 29,800) | 100 |
Diagnosis | |||
Sprains & strains | 7,500 | (4,800, 10,100) | 34 |
Puncture and laceration | 2,400b | (500, 4,200) | 11 |
Contusions/abrasions | 1,800 | (800, 2,800) | 8 |
Body part affected | |||
Upper trunk, inc. neck & shoulder | 4,500 | (2,100, 7,000) | 21 |
Lower trunk | 3,900 | (1,900, 5,900) | 18 |
Leg, including foot | 3,300 | (1,900, 4,800) | 15 |
Hand & finger | 3,100 | (1,700, 4,400) | 14 |
Arm | 2,200 | (1,000, 3,400) | 10 |
Eventc | |||
Overexertion & bodily reaction (7) | 8,000 | (4,900, 11,100) | 36 |
Harmful exposures (5) | 4,200 | (2,500, 6,200) | 19 |
Violence (1) | 3,500b | (1,200, 5,800) | 16 |
Contact with objects & equipment (6) | 2,500 | (1,500, 3,500) | 11 |
Falls, slips, trips (4) | 1,800b | (700, 3,000) | 8 |
Sourcec | |||
Persons, plants, animals, & minerals (5)d | 13,500 | (7,900, 19,200) | 62 |
Vehicles (8) | 2,600 | (1,400, 3,800) | 12 |
Tools, instruments, and equipment (7) | 2,300 | (1,100, 3,500) | 11 |
Structures & surfaces (6) | 1,400 | (700, 2,200) | 7 |
Discharge disposition from ED | |||
Treated and released | 21,700 | (13,800, 29,600) | 99 |
a Numbers and percentages do not add to totals or 100 because of rounding and omission of data not meeting NEISS-Work reporting requirements.
b This estimate is provided for information only as the variance does not meet NEISS-Work reporting requirements. Use this number with caution as the higher variance indicates it is less stable than other reported estimates.
c Events and sources are coded using Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) (version 2.01). The numbers in parentheses after each category represent major division codes in the OIICS hierarchical coding structure.
d The majority of these injuries involved other people or bodily motion of the injured worker themselves.
Table 3: The majority of sprain and strain injuries involved the EMS clinician’s trunk. Many sprains and strains, but not all, were noted in connection with bodily reactions or exertion. Falls and various other injury events were occasionally related to sprains or strains. Almost 40% of all sprain and strain injuries were related to interactions with a patient.
Number of injuriesa | 95% confidence interval | Percenta | |
---|---|---|---|
Total | 7,500 | (4,800, 10,100) | 34 |
Body part affected | |||
Lower trunk | 2,600 | (1,300, 3,900) | 35 |
Upper trunk, inc. neck & shoulder | 2,500b | (1,000, 3,900) | 33 |
Lower extremity | 1,800 | (1,000, 2,600) | 24 |
Eventc | |||
Overexertion & bodily reaction | 5,400 | (3,200, 7,600) | 72 |
Sourcec | |||
Patient (574) | 3,000 | (1,500, 4,500) | 40 |
a Numbers and percentages do not add to totals or 100 because of rounding and omission of data not meeting NEISS-Work reporting requirements.
b This estimate is provided for information only as the variance does not meet NEISS-Work reporting requirements. Use this number with caution as the higher variance indicates it is less stable than other reported estimates.
c Events and sources are coded using Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS). The numbers in parentheses after each category represent codes in the OIICS hierarchical coding structure.