Private sector work-related injuries and illnesses declined by 20,000 cases to reach a record low in New York in 1997--despite a jump of more than 200,000 persons in the workforce.

The state Department of Labor said private industry workplaces reported 248,100 non-fatal work-related injury and illness cases. That is 4.4 cases per 100 equivalent full-time workers, well below the national average, 7.1.