The Bureau of Labor Statistics released a survey which reveals that Louisiana had one of the lowest workplace incidence rates among the states for 2017.

Louisiana’s rate of non-fatal accidents and injuries has decreased over the past 16 years and has remained one of the lowest in the nation, compared to the national averages which have been compiled since 2007.

Louisiana’s rate in 2017 was 1.9 incidents per 100 full-time equivalent workers, the same as their rate in 2016. The national average for the 41 participating states in 2017 was 2.8 incidents. Louisiana had the second lowest rate behind the District of Columbia and has been consistently lower than the national average.

“Louisiana has remained one of the safest places to do business, which is a testament to the awareness of all of our business leaders and organizations throughout the state that work in hazardous conditions on a daily basis,” said Louisiana Workforce Commission Secretary Ava Dejoie. “While we have had the honor of holding this high ranking for the past few years, our work is never done until there are zero on-the-job accidents.”

The state showed improvements in multiple industry sectors for incidents per 100 full time employees (FTE). Information was down 0.8 incidents, administrative and support/waste management was down 0.8 incidents, educational services down 0.6 incidents, real estate and rental/leasing down 0.4 incidents, healthcare and social assistance down 0.3 incidents and accommodation and food services down 0.3 incidents.

The state also a reduction in their missed work case incidence rate, dropping to 64.7 cases per 10,000 FTE compared to 70.5 cases per 10,000 FTE in 2016. The national average rate is 89.4 cases.

The most common injuries and illnesses were sprains, strains and tears to the lower extremities which were caused by contact with objects and equipment. Floors, walkways and ground surfaces were the most common source of cases resulting in time away from work in Louisiana.

Read more from the Louisiana Workforce Commission.

Check out the list of rates by participating states here.