Quick answer
The latest workplace injury statistics show private employers reported 2.5 million nonfatal injuries and illnesses in 2024, a rate of 2.3 cases per 100 full-time workers, the lowest since 2003. 5,070 workers died from work injuries in 2024. Transportation incidents caused 38.2% of those deaths.
Workplace injury statistics come from two federal programs run by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), released January 22, 2026, counted 2.5 million nonfatal injuries and illnesses in private industry in 2024. The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), released February 19, 2026, counted 5,070 deaths. Both are the latest data available on November 13, 2026. OSHA adds enforcement and recordkeeping data. Every figure below links to the table it comes from.
Occupational injury statistics: the national rate
These are 2024 figures for private industry from the BLS SOII, which is based on the injury and illness records employers keep for OSHA.
- Employers reported 2,488,400 recordable injury and illness cases in 2024, down from 2,569,000 in 2023 (SOII Table 1). BLS says the count and the rate are the lowest since 2003.
- The total recordable case rate was 2.3 per 100 full-time equivalent workers, down from 2.4. Put simply, about 2 in every 100 full-time workers had a recordable case.
- Injuries made up 2,340,400 cases. Illnesses fell 26.0% to 148,000.
- Respiratory illnesses fell 46.1% to 54,000 cases, as COVID-19 cases kept declining.
- Counting state and local government workers, the rate for all industries was 2.6 per 100 workers (SOII summary Table 1).
- Of the 2.3 private-industry rate, 0.8 were cases with days away from work, 0.5 were job transfer or restriction cases and 1.0 were other recordable cases.
What this means for employers: A rate of 2.3 means a 50-person, full-time workplace with an average record would log about one recordable case a year (Workzenly calculation). Compare your own rate with your industry's, not the national figure, because the spread between industries is wide.
Workplace injury rates by industry
Rates per 100 full-time equivalent workers, 2024, private industry, from the SOII summary Table 1.
- Couriers and messengers had a rate of 8.0, about 3.5 times the private-industry average (Workzenly calculation).
- Skilled nursing facilities reached 6.3, and psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals 6.9.
- Health care and social assistance fell to 3.4 from 3.6 in 2023, one of five sectors where the rate fell. BLS says no sector's rate rose.
- Warehousing and storage had a lower rate than nursing homes but the most serious mix: 4.1 of its 4.8 cases per 100 workers involved days away, job transfer or restriction.
- Construction's nonfatal rate was 2.2, below the private average, even though construction leads in deaths (see below).
- Office-based sectors were far lower: professional, scientific and technical services 0.7, and finance and insurance 0.3.
What this means for employers: If you run a clinic or care team, a warehouse or a store, injury risk is a staffing issue as much as a safety one. Lifting, patient handling and long shifts drive these rates, and every lost-time case leaves a shift to cover.
Workplace accident statistics by cause and days away
BLS publishes case details in two-year blocks. These are 2023 and 2024 combined for private industry, from SOII Table 2. DART means cases with days away from work, job restriction or transfer. Rates are per 10,000 full-time workers, annualized.
| Event or exposure (2023 to 2024) | DART cases | Days-away cases | Median days away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overexertion, repetitive motion and bodily conditions | 946,290 | 492,140 | 14 |
| Contact incidents (struck by, caught in) | 860,050 | 499,270 | 5 |
| Falls, slips, trips | 721,720 | 479,480 | 13 |
| Exposure to harmful substances or environments | 224,450 | 196,540 | 5 |
| Transportation incidents | 121,330 | 91,690 | 16 |
| Violent acts | 78,340 | 54,510 | 6 |
| All events | 2,983,110 | 1,834,600 | 8 |
Source: BLS, SOII Table 2, private industry, 2023 to 2024.
- Overexertion and bodily reaction cases were 31.7% of all serious cases, the largest single group (Workzenly calculation).
- Falls, slips and trips were 24.2% of serious cases (Workzenly calculation), with a median of 13 days away. Transportation incidents had the longest median, 16 days.
- Days-away cases made up 61.5% of DART cases; the other 1.1 million were job transfer or restriction cases with a median of 15 days.
- Violent acts by people or animals caused 78,340 serious nonfatal cases over the two years.
- COVID-19 days-away cases ran at 5.6 per 10,000 workers, but 32.4 for healthcare support jobs and 26.7 for healthcare practitioners (SOII Table 3).
What this means for employers: A median of 8 days away means a typical lost-time injury takes someone off the schedule for more than a full workweek. Plan coverage, and put return-to-work and light-duty rules in your employee handbook and attendance policy so injury leave is not treated as an unexcused absence.
Workplace fatalities statistics
From the BLS CFOI for 2024, Table 2 (events) and Table 3 (occupations).
- The fatal injury rate was 3.3 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2024, down from 3.5.
- Transportation incidents caused 1,937 deaths (38.2%). Roadway crashes involving a motor vehicle caused 1,146; pedestrians struck by vehicles rose to 369 from 310.
- Falls to a lower level killed 666 workers, down from 725.
- Violent acts caused 733 deaths, including 470 homicides and 263 suicides.
- Drug and alcohol overdoses at work fell to 410 from 512.
- Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers had 798 deaths, about 15.7% of the total (Workzenly calculation). Transportation and material moving jobs had 1,391 deaths and a rate of 12.5.
- Construction trades workers had 788 deaths; grounds maintenance workers had 239; retail sales workers had 114.
- Workers aged 65 and over had 824 deaths, up from 757. Hispanic or Latino workers had 1,229 (rate 4.3). Women accounted for 413 deaths, 8.1% of the total (CFOI Table 1).
Fatal injury rates by industry
Construction had the most deaths of any industry, 1,034, about one in five (Workzenly calculation: 20.4%). BLS also reports 1,032 deaths in construction and extraction occupations; the two figures differ because one counts by employer industry and the other by job. The BLS Construction at a Glance page shows a third figure, 1,064 industry deaths; we use the 1,034 from the BLS fatal injuries by industry chart. Agriculture's rate of 20.9 is about 6 times the all-worker rate.
What this means for employers: Deaths cluster in driving, falls and heavy equipment, so risk follows the work, not the head count. Construction and field crews need written fall protection and driving rules, and proof that each person was trained on them.
Workplace injury rates by state
BLS publishes state rates for private industry from the SOII. The 2024 state chart covers the states that take part in the survey; it has no figures for Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island or South Dakota.
| Highest rates, 2024 | Rate | Lowest rates, 2024 | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maine | 4.1 | District of Columbia | 1.2 |
| Vermont | 3.6 | Louisiana | 1.4 |
| Montana | 3.3 | South Carolina | 1.7 |
| Oregon | 3.3 | Texas | 1.7 |
| Washington | 3.2 | Arkansas | 1.8 |
| Nevada | 3.0 | Virginia | 1.8 |
Source: BLS, SOII, rate of total recordable cases per 100 full-time workers by state, private industry, 2024.
- California, Connecticut, Hawaii and Wisconsin each had a rate of 2.9. New York and North Carolina had 1.9.
- State rates partly reflect industry mix and reporting culture, not only how safe workplaces are. A state heavy in health care or warehousing will tend to sit higher.
What this means for employers: Benchmark against your industry first and your state second. If you operate in several states, check each state's OSHA plan, since some states run their own programs with their own rules.
How workplace injuries have changed over time
| Year | Nonfatal recordable cases (private industry) | Fatal work injuries (all workers) |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2,905,900 | n/a |
| 2019 | 2,814,000 | n/a |
| 2020 | 2,654,700 | 4,764 |
| 2021 | 2,607,900 | 5,190 |
| 2022 | 2,804,200 | 5,486 |
| 2023 | 2,569,000 | 5,283 |
| 2024 | 2,488,400 | 5,070 |
Sources: BLS SOII Table 1 and CFOI Table 1. n/a = not in the current release table.
- Nonfatal cases fell 14.4% from 2015 to 2024 (Workzenly calculation).
- The 2022 bump to 2.8 million came as respiratory illnesses, mostly COVID-19, were still high; they fell to 54,000 by 2024.
- Fatal injuries peaked at 5,486 in 2022 and have fallen two years in a row, a 7.6% drop to 2024 (Workzenly calculation).
- OSHA says worker deaths fell from about 38 a day in 1970 to 15 a day in 2023 (OSHA commonly used statistics).
What this means for employers: The long trend is down, but deaths among workers 65 and older rose in 2024. As teams age and more people work past retirement age, review physical demands and fall risks for older staff.
OSHA statistics: inspections, citations and recordkeeping
OSHA's top 10 most frequently cited standards for fiscal year 2026 (preliminary, October 1, 2025 to August 31, 2026):
- Fall protection, general requirements (construction, 1926.501)
- Hazard communication (1910.1200)
- Control of hazardous energy, lockout/tagout (1910.147)
- Scaffolding (1926.451)
- Ladders (1926.1053)
- Respiratory protection (1910.134)
- Powered industrial trucks (1910.178)
- Fall protection training (1926.503)
- Eye and face protection (1926.102)
- Machine guarding (1910.212)
- OSHA and its state partners have about 1,850 inspectors for 130 million workers at more than 8 million worksites, about one compliance officer for every 70,000 workers (OSHA).
- Federal OSHA conducted 34,696 inspections in fiscal year 2024.
- Employers with more than 10 employees must generally keep OSHA Forms 300, 300A and 301, unless their industry is partially exempt (OSHA recordkeeping).
- Records must be kept for five years after the year they cover (29 CFR 1904.33). The Form 300A summary is posted from February 1 to April 30 and certified by a company executive (1904.32).
- Establishments with 250 or more employees, or 20 to 249 in designated industries, submit Form 300A electronically. Those with 100 or more in designated industries also submit Forms 300 and 301. The deadline is March 2 (1904.41).
- Every employer must report a work-related death within 8 hours, and an in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours.
What this means for employers: Most of the top 10 citations are about missing programs, training and paperwork, not only physical hazards. Keep training sign-offs, hazard communication records and the OSHA 300 log where you can find them in minutes. This is general information, not legal advice.
About this data
The workplace injury statistics on this page come from federal sources. The BLS Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities program publishes the SOII each fall or winter for the prior year and the CFOI a few weeks later; 2024 is the latest year for both on November 13, 2026. SOII is an employer survey based on OSHA records, so it counts what employers record. CFOI is a census of fatal work injuries. Case details by event come in two-year blocks. OSHA's top 10 list is updated each fiscal year, and its inspection figures come from its commonly used statistics page. The sources cover different periods: OSHA's "15 a day" refers to 2023 deaths, while the BLS figures above are for 2024. Where we compute shares, changes or multiples, the text says "Workzenly calculation."
We review this page when new releases come out. Journalists, students and bloggers are welcome to cite it with a link to this page. For related data, see our absenteeism statistics, overtime statistics and small business statistics.
More workforce statistics: Construction labor shortage statistics · Absenteeism statistics · Shift work statistics · Healthcare workforce statistics.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, 2024, released January 22, 2026. bls.gov/news.release/osh.nr0.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, SOII news release Table 1, total recordable cases, private industry, 2015 to 2024. bls.gov/news.release/osh.t01.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, SOII news release Table 2, DART, DAFW and DJTR cases by event or exposure, 2023 to 2024. bls.gov/news.release/osh.t02.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, SOII news release Table 3, COVID-19 days-away rates by occupational group, 2023 to 2024. bls.gov/news.release/osh.t03.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, SOII summary Table 1, injury and illness rates by industry, 2024. bls.gov/iif/nonfatal-injuries-and-illnesses-tables
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, rate of total recordable cases by state, private industry, 2024. bls.gov/charts/injuries-and-illnesses
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2024, released February 19, 2026. bls.gov/news.release/cfoi.nr0.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CFOI Tables 1 to 3, demographics, events and occupations, 2020 to 2024. bls.gov/news.release/cfoi.toc.htm
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, number and rate of fatal work injuries by industry, 2024. bls.gov/charts/census-of-fatal-occupational-injuries
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Top 10 most frequently cited standards, fiscal year 2026 (preliminary). osha.gov/top10citedstandards
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Commonly used statistics. osha.gov/data/commonstats
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Injury and illness recordkeeping, and 29 CFR 1904.32, 1904.33 and 1904.41. osha.gov/recordkeeping
Frequently asked questions
How many workplace injuries happen each year in the US?
Private employers reported 2.5 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2024, down 3.1% from 2023 and the lowest count since 2003, according to the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses released January 22, 2026. The total recordable case rate was 2.3 per 100 full-time equivalent workers.
How many workers die on the job each year?
5,070 workers died from work-related injuries in 2024, down 4.0% from 5,283 in 2023, according to the BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries released February 19, 2026. The fatal injury rate was 3.3 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, or one death every 104 minutes.
What is the most common cause of workplace injuries?
Overexertion, repetitive motion and bodily conditions caused 946,290 private-industry cases with days away, job restriction or transfer in 2023 and 2024 combined, the largest group. Contact with objects and equipment was next with 860,050, followed by falls, slips and trips with 721,720, according to BLS.
Which industry has the most workplace deaths?
Construction had the most fatal work injuries in 2024, with 1,034, according to BLS. Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting had the highest fatal injury rate, 20.9 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, followed by mining at 13.8 and transportation and warehousing at 12.2.
What is the most cited OSHA standard?
Fall protection in construction (29 CFR 1926.501) tops OSHA's preliminary list of most frequently cited standards for fiscal year 2026, covering October 1, 2025 to August 31, 2026. Hazard communication and lockout/tagout rank second and third.
Which employers must keep an OSHA 300 log?
OSHA says employers with more than 10 employees must generally keep Forms 300, 300A and 301 unless their industry is partially exempt. Records are kept five years, the 300A summary is posted February 1 to April 30, and covered establishments submit data electronically by March 2.