Workplace injuries, illnesses and accidents affect millions of Americans each year leading to lost productivity, health issues and increased business costs. For employees, an on-the-job accident can mean losing pay or even long-term disability. As an employer or worker, understanding the scope of the problem is the first step toward creating a safer, healthier environment.
This comprehensive report draws on the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and other sources to assess workplace hazard trends both nationally and by industry while identifying evidence-based strategies for reducing occupational health risks.
Overview of U.S. Occupational Injuries and Fatalities
The workplace is still far too dangerous for many American workers according to the latest injury statistics:
- 2.7 million nonfatal workplace illnesses and injuries were reported by private employers in 2020 equaling an incidence rate of 2.7 cases per 100 full-time workers. This translates to around 5,400 injuries every single day. (BLS)
- There were 4,764 fatal occupational injuries recorded in 2020 across all public and private sector American workplaces. This works out to about 93 deaths per week or 13 worker deaths every day on average. (BLS)
- Men account for a hugely disproportionate 92% of all worker deaths on the job. (BLS)
- Workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities led to an estimated 99 million lost work days in 2020 – over 400 years of lost labor time. (BLS)
While the long-term trend has been downward, the last couple years show concerning backslides. Total deaths and the fatality rate actually increased in 2020 versus 2019. With so many affected, there is an urgent need for renewed focus on workplace safety from corporate leadership, lawmakers and labor groups alike.
Workplace Fatalities by Industry and Event
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By far the most common fatal workplace accidents involve transportation incidents which accounted for 1,778 deaths or 37% of the 2020 total. Air and water incidents were second with tweetable quote about how companies depend on frontline workers getting to work safely
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Looking just at medical outcomes, heart attacks and other cardiac events rank particularly high as a cause of workplace mortality killing around 800 American workers in 2020. Exposure to chemicals, dangerous environments or overwhelming stress can clearly take a toll. Experienced safety consultant Frank Lee comments that "the demands we place on workers – both physical and emotional – contributes to far too many tragedies whether on the frontlines of healthcare or in high pressure roles like financial trading."
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Falls, slips and trips and violence/assaults round out the top five events killing 1,029 and 528 Americans workers respectively in 2020. The latter category declined versus previous years but still demands attention, particularly in service related occupations.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Most Hazardous Industries for Employee Health
| Industry | Fatal Injury Rate per 100k Workers |
|---|---|
| Transportation and Warehousing | 26.1 |
| Construction | 11.7 |
| Agriculture , Fishing, Forestry | 23.5 |
| Mining | 14.6 |
- Some of the most physically dangerous jobs in America continue to be in transportation, construction, agriculture and mining. Commercial driving and materials moving accounts for the bulk of transportation deaths while falls remain the leading killer in the building trades. Policy makers debate trends but industry groups argue improved regulation and training initiatives are starting to have a positive impact.
"There is still tremendous room for improving safety practices including transitioning to newer technologies and equipment" says Deb Fischer, former VP of Environment, Health and Safety for a national construction firm. "But we are seeing broader adoption of things like wearables that detect unsafe body positioning and analytics to identify high risk situations before an incident."
Where are Workers Getting Injured?
In 2020 strains and sprains were the most common workplace injury accounting for 39% of incidents followed by cuts, lacerations and punctures at 14%. But beyond this breakdown by type and severity of injury, data shows certain events and exposures that increase overall employee health risks.
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The catch-all category of "exposure to harmful substances or environments" now tops the list of non-fatal injury triggers likely due to COVID-19‘s impact on essential and frontline workers in 2020.
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Overexertion has long plagued fields like manufacturing, construction and healthcare ranking second highest cause of lost time incidents.
*eware old data – slips, trips and falls were actually still the third leading type of disabling workplace accident in 2020. These seemingly minor mishaps often have serious consequences in terms of strains, fractures and head injuries.
- And employee safety experts we spoke with all pointed to "struck by object" accidents plaguing warehouses and industrial settings with both pedestrian collisions and improperly stored materials crushing limbs or torsos.
| Event | % Lost Work Day Cases |
|---|---|
| Exposure to Harmful Environment/Substances | 21.7% |
| Overexertion | 20.3% |
| Slips/Trips/Falls | 18.0% |
| Struck By Object | 15.0% |
Bureau of Labor Statistics by type of event leading to missed work in 2020 – top 4 categories
Manufacturing and construction companies remain hotspots for overexertion based injuries but all organizations need to take slips, trips and falls seriously through both cultural and facility based interventions according to experts.
Cost of Unsafe Workplaces
- At a national level, the most recent estimates peg the total cost of fatal and non-fatal workplace injuries at $171 billion dollars per year when medical bills, lost productivity, administrative expenses and wage losses are factored together. (ASSP/National Safety Council)
- For the average employer, researchers calculate expenditures directly attributable to employee injuries add over $1,000 per worker annually – expenditures most small business can ill afford. (ASSP)
- And for the hundreds of thousands of Americans seriously hurt on-the-job each year, the impacts can last far beyond a lost paycheck. One study found over 80% of disabling workplace injuries resulted in financial difficulties – hampering their efforts toward recovery and return to full economic participation.
Regional Breakdown of Injuries and Illnesses
There is significant variations in workplace injury data based on geography and demographics. For example:
- Older Americans (55+) has a higher incidence rate of fatal occupational injuries with 12.7 per 100k full-time equivalent workers in 2020.
- Younger adults sustain higher rates of non-fatal accidents requiring emergency room visits – led by workers under 24.
- The Southwest has emerged as particularly dangerous with Texas recording the most work-related injury deaths of any state for multiple consecutive years now. The risks appear concentrated in the booming oil and gas fields.
Regional executives we spoke to pointed to both cultural and policy factors at play in higher risk states.
Preventing Workplace Illness and Injury
While further policy changes may help, individual employers have many options for reducing safety risks through environmental design, training protocols and technology investments. Our safety experts suggest considering changes like:
- Performing routine hazard assessment and safety audits
- Enabling safety observations and suggestions from frontline staff
- Upgrading facilities and equipment to meet current safety codes
- Instituting stretching/flexibility programs to reduce overexertion strains
- Utilizing analytics to pinpoint problem areas
- Investing in the latest wearables, computer vision tech and sensors
- Setting standards for reporting and addressing unsafe conditions
- Building a culture of open communication and shared responsibility around health and safety
Strong safety programs don‘t just protect workers, they also protect companies from uninsured losses and legal liability according to risk management groups. But with IOSH figures still showing around 3 fatalities ever day, there is much work to be done.
Final Thoughts
As the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) marks its 50th anniversary in 2021, the long view shows massive progress substantially reducing dangers for American workers since the 1970s. But workplace injury statistics confirm we still have a long way to go in making good jobs truly safe jobs.
From expanded safety requirements and enforcement to leveraging technology and data analytics, continued progress depends on the combined efforts of lawmakers, labor groups, insurers and individual employers.
We all have a role to play in reversing these troubling trends whether you manage a staff operation or work alone. Everyone deserves an environment where they can thrive without risk to life and limb.
Learn more about solutions tailored to your workplace safety risks by contacting FirstProtect safety consultants at www.firstprotect.com. Our team of engineers and risk experts partner with organizations across industries to assess hazards and build programs improving employee safety from day one.