March 7 2022 | Workers' Compensation

Despite our best efforts, it’s incredibly challenging to remain at peak health throughout the year. Between illnesses, accidents, and simple misfortune, it’s relatively easy to suffer a complication that keeps you or a loved one out of the workforce for some time. If you’re injured or become ill due to workplace conditions, it’s likely that your injuries fall into the category of workers’ compensation (or workers’ comp). Workers’ comp replaces a portion of a wounded employee’s payroll wages and covers their medical expenses after an accident.

States have their own specific requirements, regulations, and laws that define the workers’ comp system under their jurisdiction. The rules and payment thresholds are determined by the state’s insurance regulators. Our team took a closer look at the overall wellness and workers’ comp situation in Connecticut. We developed a deeper understanding of the injuries and illnesses affecting workers in the state, as well as the number of cases and payout figures on an annual basis.

Table of Contents

Connecticut Occupational Illness & Workers’ Compensation Resources

To immediately access the resources at any point on this page, click the appropriate link below.

What are Occupational Injuries, Illnesses, & Diseases?
Which Age Group is Most Affected By Occupational Illnesses in Connecticut?
Occupational Diseases Harming Workers in Connecticut
Exposure to Infectious Diseases in the Workplace
Non-Chronic Respiratory Poisonings & Illnesses by Cause in Connecticut
Chronic Lung Conditions
Miscellaneous Workplace Injuries & Complaints
Nonfatal Occupational Illnesses & Injuries in Connecticut Private Industries
Fatal Occupational Injuries in Connecticut
Comparing Fatal Occupational Injuries in the United States
Occupational Illnesses by Connecticut Town or Municipality
How Many Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Cases Have Been Filed in 2022?
What to Do if You’re Injured on the Job

What Are Occupational Injuries, Illnesses, & Diseases?

To begin, we’ll discuss the types of harm that can befall an employee at their job. Some injuries are instantaneous, such as a worker being harmed by a defective piece of machinery on a factory floor. Other injuries take months or even years to be detected but can have a significant impact on the victim’s quality of life. For example, a construction worker may be diagnosed with lung cancer or mesothelioma after years of exposure to asbestos at different worksites.

An occupational illness is an illness that can be directly traced back to a workplace condition or environment. Such illnesses may be influenced by exposure to dangerous chemicals, unsafe air quality, insufficient sanitation, or a number of other otherwise-avoidable hazards.
Occupational diseases are chronic ailments that occur due to occupational activities or a workplace environment. Typically, an occupational disease is identified because of its abnormal prevalence amongst a group of workers compared to the general public.
Occupational injuries are any form of bodily harm resulting from working. Injuries can be caused by blood-borne pathogens, radiation, aerosols, hazardous chemicals, and other job-related hazards (such as unsafe working temperatures, faulty equipment, or animal attacks).

Which Age Group Suffers Most From Occupational Illnesses in Connecticut?

Perhaps not surprisingly, the age groups that bear the brunt of occupational illnesses throughout the year are those aged twenty-five to sixty-four. As of 2019, just over 80% of Connecticut’s workforce fell into this age range. With relatively fewer workers younger than twenty-five or older than sixty-five in the workforce, it stands to reason that those age ranges would have fewer documented cases of illnesses. Arranged in the chart below are cases of occupational illness in Connecticut in 2019, categorized by age range. Data is drawn from the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

Occupational Illness by Age in Connecticut

Occupational Diseases Impacting Connecticut Workers

Due largely to complications of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, data on workplace illnesses for 2020 and 2021 has not been fully peer-reviewed and approved yet. However, we can look at data gathered from as recently as 2019. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL), there were roughly 1,700 reported instances of occupational illnesses in 2019. As displayed below, Connecticut had approximately 200 less reported occupational diseases in 2019 than in 2018. In both years, no cases of workplace-related poisonings were recorded. To remain faithful to the original data collection methods, we defined musculoskeletal disorders as “other,” as BLS does.

Occupational Diseases in Connecticut by Type, 2018-2019

Exposure to Infectious Diseases in the Workplace

Unlike occupational diseases, which trended downwards from 2018 to 2019, contraction of and exposure to infectious diseases in Connecticut workplaces rose by 9%. In 2019, there were 1,063 reports of exposure to bloodborne pathogens. This marks a 6% increase from 2018, and these incidents accounted for 81% of statewide infectious disease reports.

In recent years, court decisions have expanded the definition of “compensable disease” via workers’ comp in Connecticut to include exposure. This helps injured workers secure the medical treatments they need to recover, without fighting a prolonged battle to prove that the first report of injury was not simply exposure to a disease but contraction of symptoms.

Exposure to & Contraction of Infectious Diseases

Non-Chronic Respiratory Poisonings & Injuries by Cause

Respiratory illnesses and poisonings can cause catastrophic, life-changing harm. While some respiratory illnesses occur due to exposure over prolonged periods of time, others are caused by singular events, such as inhaling smoke during a fire or being exposed to deadly chemicals. From 2018 to 2019, non-chronic respiratory illnesses decreased by 9%.

Non-Chronic Respiratory Illnesses & Poisonings in Connecticut Workplaces

What About Chronic Lung Conditions?

While non-chronic respiratory illnesses and poisonings decreased in 2019, chronic lung conditions increased by a staggering 43% from 2018. Of the total 187 reported chronic lung conditions, 54 were asbestos-related. In the chart below, all forms of cancer are categorized as “other chronic lung disease,” including those caused by asbestos exposure.

Chronic Lung Conditions in Connecticut Workplaces, 2018-2019

Miscellaneous Workplace Injuries & Complaints

While catastrophic workplace accidents are what many people think of when they hear the phrase “workers’ comp,” there are a number of other conditions that can detrimentally impact one’s life. We’ve tracked some of these injuries and complaints from 2018 and 2019 in the graph below.

Miscellaneous Connecticut Workplace Injuries & Complaints, 2018-2019

Nonfatal Occupational Illnesses & Injuries in Connecticut Private Industries

According to Connecticut’s 2020 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, private industry employers reported 33,300 nonfatal workplace illnesses and injuries throughout the year. The resulting incidence rate of 3.0 cases per 100 workers was subsequently substantially higher than the national rate of 2.7. Two Connecticut supersectors, “trade, transportation, and utilities” and “education and health services” accounted for 67% of the occupational illnesses and injuries.

Nonfatal Connecticut Workplace Illnesses & Injuries, 2020

Fatal Occupational Injuries in Connecticut

In 2020, the most recent year for which data of this nature is available, the BLS reported twenty-nine fatal occupational injuries in Connecticut. Twenty-seven of these deaths occurred in private industries. The chart below details the cause of death and victim’s age range. The totals may not add up to twenty-nine if a victim’s age or cause of death was not determined.

Connecticut Workplace Fatalities 2020

Comparing Fatal Occupational Injuries in the United States

93% of the fatal workplace injuries suffered in Connecticut in 2020 occurred in the private sector. Similarly, 92% of all workplace fatalities across the United States during the same year occurred in the private sector. In the chart below, we compare the total number of workplace-related deaths nationwide by cause to those that occurred specifically in the private sector. Overall, 37% of workplace fatalities across the nation happened due to a transportation incident, of which 90% of incidents happened in the private sector.

Fatal U.S. Occupational Injuries in 2020, Private Sector versus All Sectors

Occupational Illnesses by Connecticut Town or Municipality

Although every town in Connecticut inevitably deals with some number of work-related illnesses and ailments, some areas certainly fare better than others. Using data gathered by CTDOL from 2019, we’re able to see which towns and municipalities experienced the highest numbers of illnesses over a one-year period. Plainfield had the highest rate of illnesses per 10,000 workers, at 93. However, Hartford had the highest number of reported illnesses in the year, at 110,997.

Town	Cases	Employment	Rate Per 10,000	Rank
Plainfield	41	4,397	93	1
Vernon	61	8,053	76	2
Cheshire	117	16,794	70	3
Windsor Locks	87	13,276	66	4
Waterbury	253	39,067	65	5
Groton	171	28,306	60	6
Guilford	47	8,033	59	7
Manchester	155	27,731	56	8
Stratford	136	24,431	56	9
Putnam	31	5,927	52	10
Torrington	74	14,841	50	11
New Milford	39	7,941	49	12
Cromwell	36	7,517	48	13
Mansfield	55	11,739	47	14
Meriden	103	22,727	45	15
Farmington	144	32,136	45	16
Waterford	47	10,604	44	17
Stonington	32	7,740	41	18
Middletown	116	28,112	41	19
Trumbull	57	14,894	38	20
Newtown	32	8,461	38	21
New Canaan	25	6,685	37	22
South Windsor	52	14,212	37	23
Watertown	32	8,890	36	24
New London	47	13,509	35	25
Newington	58	17,077	34	26
Hartford	370	110,997	33	27
Berlin	39	11,809	33	28
Simsbury	26	8,216	32	29
Bloomfield	62	19,821	31	30
New Haven	263	84,205	31	31
Windsor	81	26,528	31	32
North Haven	62	20,713	30	33
Danbury	125	43,886	28	34
Wethersfield	27	9,558	28	35
Bridgeport	107	42,048	25	36
Rocky Hill	41	16,130	25	37
Wallingford	71	28,172	25	38
Montville	31	12,427	25	39
Enfield	44	18,045	24	40
New Britain	58	24,599	24	41
Glastonbury	40	17,216	23	42
Norwalk	98	43,536	23	43
West Hartford	64	29,143	22	44
Norwich	36	17,410	21	45
Milford	53	27,752	19	46
Hamden	39	20,567	19	47
Greenwich	62	33,671	18	48
Westport	27	14,929	18	49
Shelton	46	25,873	18	50
East Hartford	57	34,438	17	51
Bristol	36	22,420	16	52
Fairfield	30	25,739	12	53
Stamford	67	76,189	9	54
Connecticut	5,259	1,670,354	31	N/A

How Many Connecticut Workers’ Compensation Cases Have Been Filed in 2022?

This article is originally being written in March of 2022, so complete data on workers’ comp cases for the calendar year 2022 is not yet available. However, the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) has released the following data, which is accurate through March 6^th, 2022:

Connecticut Workers' Comp Cases Filed in 2022

What to Do if You’re Injured on the Job in Connecticut

Suffering an injury can be terrifying and stressful, particularly if you’re harmed at your place of employment. If you, a friend, or a loved one are harmed, try to follow these steps:

Report the injury or incident to a supervisor, manager, or other authority who was in charge when the incident occurred.
Document the injury. Take photos of the scene, you or the injured person’s wounds, and any other evidence. Get the contact information of any witnesses and save the medical paperwork for any visits to a doctor or treatments received.
Seek medical attention. Don’t wait for the wound or illness to get worse.
Follow your doctors’ recommendations exactly. If you deviate from their treatment plan, you may harm the chances of a successful personal injury lawsuit or face the risk of termination from your job.
Fill out your company’s incident form(s) or comparable paperwork.
Contact a workers’ comp attorney.