While the overall rate of workplace injuries showed a promising 7% decline in 2022, a closer look at the staggering statistics—from over 2.8 million nonfatal incidents to the sobering reality of 5,486 lives lost—reveals a complex landscape of risk where progress in some areas is starkly contrasted by persistent and costly dangers in others.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, private industry employers reported 2,831,000 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses, resulting in a total recordable incidence rate of 2.7 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers
- The total recordable case incidence rate for all private industries in 2022 decreased by 7.0 percent from 2021 to 2.7 cases per 100 FTE workers
- In 2022, the incidence rate for cases with days away from work for private industry was 0.9 cases per 100 FTE workers, down from 1.1 in 2021
- In 2022, 5,486 fatal work injuries were reported in the US, down 5.7% from 2021
- Transportation incidents were the leading cause of fatal injuries, accounting for 37.3% or 2,046 deaths in 2022
- Falls, slips, and trips caused 775 fatal injuries in 2022, representing 14.1% of total fatalities
- In 2022, there were 847,310 private industry cases with days away from work
- Sprains, strains, tears were the most common nonfatal injury type, with 29.5% of DAFW cases in 2022
- Soreness and pain cases numbered 104,100 in private industry in 2022
- In construction, struck-by incidents caused 11% of nonfatal cases in 2022
- Manufacturing sector reported 405,000 nonfatal injuries/illnesses in 2022
- In agriculture, the nonfatal injury rate was 4.9 per 100 FTE in 2022
- The total cost of work injuries in the US was estimated at $171 billion in 2022
- Fatal work injuries cost society $183.5 billion in 2021, averaging $1,340,000 per death
- Nonfatal disabling injuries cost $69.1 billion in 2021
Workplace injuries declined but remain high and cost billions in 2022.
Economic and Cost Statistics
- The total cost of work injuries in the US was estimated at $171 billion in 2022
- Fatal work injuries cost society $183.5 billion in 2021, averaging $1,340,000 per death
- Nonfatal disabling injuries cost $69.1 billion in 2021
- Workers' compensation payments for medical and indemnity totaled $66 billion in 2022
- Average cost per medically consulted injury was $44,000 in private industry 2022
- Construction industry work injury costs reached $45 billion annually
- Musculoskeletal disorders cost employers $13 billion in workers' comp in 2021
- Slip and fall injuries cost $11 billion in direct costs yearly
- Indirect costs of work injuries average 2.5 times direct costs
- Truck crash injuries cost $91 billion in 2021
- Manufacturing injury costs were $39 billion in 2021
- Lifetime cost of a back injury averages $120,000 per case
- Workers' comp premiums totaled $54 billion in 2022
- Productivity losses from work injuries cost $59.6 billion in 2021
- Administrative costs for workers' comp were $25 billion in 2022
- In healthcare, injury costs averaged $37,000 per hospital worker case
- Total societal cost per fatal work injury was $1.41 million in 2020 data
- Nonfatal cases with 31+ days away cost $172,000 each on average
- Wage losses from permanent disabilities averaged $389,000 lifetime
- Household services lost due to injuries valued at $37.2 billion yearly
Economic and Cost Statistics Interpretation
Behind these staggering financial figures lies the sobering truth that America's workplaces are generating a devastatingly expensive human toll, proving that safety isn't just a moral imperative but an immense financial drain we can no longer afford to ignore.
Fatal Injuries
- In 2022, 5,486 fatal work injuries were reported in the US, down 5.7% from 2021
- Transportation incidents were the leading cause of fatal injuries, accounting for 37.3% or 2,046 deaths in 2022
- Falls, slips, and trips caused 775 fatal injuries in 2022, representing 14.1% of total fatalities
- Violence and other injuries by persons or animals resulted in 746 fatalities in 2022
- Contact with objects and equipment caused 697 deaths in 2022
- Exposure to harmful substances or environments led to 590 fatal injuries in 2022
- Construction industry had 1,056 fatal injuries in 2022, the highest among sectors
- Transportation and warehousing saw 1,340 fatalities in 2022
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting had 535 deaths in 2022
- The fatal injury rate for all occupations was 3.7 per 100,000 FTE in 2022
- Truck drivers had 1,000 fatal injuries in 2022
- Construction laborers recorded 300 fatalities in 2022
- From 2012 to 2022, total fatal work injuries increased by 9.3%
- Hispanic or Latino workers had 1,000 fatal injuries in 2022
- Workers aged 35-44 had the highest number of fatalities at 1,600 in 2022
- In 2022, 964 workers died from transportation incidents involving heavy trucks
- 318 construction workers died from falls in 2022
- Fishing and hunting workers had a fatal injury rate of 24.3 per 100,000 FTE in 2022, highest overall
- Loggers had a rate of 82.0 per 100,000 FTE in 2022
- Roofers had 106 fatal injuries in 2022
Fatal Injuries Interpretation
While the number of fatal work injuries has thankfully decreased slightly, the sobering reality remains that every day, dozens of Americans head to jobs where a simple commute, a slip on a worksite, or a routine task can turn deadly.
Incidence Rates
- In 2022, private industry employers reported 2,831,000 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses, resulting in a total recordable incidence rate of 2.7 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers
- The total recordable case incidence rate for all private industries in 2022 decreased by 7.0 percent from 2021 to 2.7 cases per 100 FTE workers
- In 2022, the incidence rate for cases with days away from work for private industry was 0.9 cases per 100 FTE workers, down from 1.1 in 2021
- State and local government workplaces had a total recordable incidence rate of 2.8 cases per 100 FTE workers in 2022
- Manufacturing sector's total recordable incidence rate stood at 3.4 cases per 100 FTE workers in 2022
- From 2012 to 2022, the total recordable incidence rate for private industry declined by 20 percent
- In 2021, the incidence rate of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work was 22.3 cases per 10,000 full-time workers
- Construction industry's total recordable incidence rate was 2.5 per 100 FTE workers in 2022
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting had the highest total recordable rate at 4.6 per 100 FTE in 2022
- Healthcare and social assistance sector reported 4.9 total recordable cases per 100 FTE workers in 2022
- Nursing and residential care facilities had a rate of 7.5 cases per 100 FTE workers in 2022
- Retail trade incidence rate was 2.9 per 100 FTE in 2022
- Transportation and warehousing rate was 4.6 per 100 FTE in 2022
- Utilities sector had the lowest rate at 1.7 per 100 FTE in 2022
- In 2022, establishments with fewer than 11 employees had a rate of 1.5 per 100 FTE
- Large establishments (1,000+ employees) had a rate of 2.1 per 100 FTE in 2022
- From 1972 to 2022, nonfatal workplace injury rates declined by 70%
- In 2022, the median days away from work for nonfatal injuries was 11 days
- Sprains, strains, and tears accounted for 29.5% of cases with days away from work in 2022
- Falls to lower level caused 15.3% of nonfatal cases with days away in 2022
Incidence Rates Interpretation
The headline ‘workplace injuries are steadily declining’ feels like a pat on the back for a system that still sent nearly three million people home hurt, proving progress is a slow, painful climb where even the good news comes with a limp.
Industry-Specific Statistics
- In construction, struck-by incidents caused 11% of nonfatal cases in 2022
- Manufacturing sector reported 405,000 nonfatal injuries/illnesses in 2022
- In agriculture, the nonfatal injury rate was 4.9 per 100 FTE in 2022
- Mining industry had 9.3 fatal injuries per 100,000 FTE in 2022
- Healthcare support occupations in nursing facilities had 8.5 TRIR in 2022
- Oil and gas extraction had 12.7 fatal rate per 100,000 in 2022
- Transportation incidents caused 49% of construction fatalities in 2022
- In retail trade, overexertion caused 30% of nonfatal cases in 2022
- Utilities workers had 2.1 TRIR but high severity with median 14 days away in 2022
- Hospitality industry reported 3.2 TRIR in 2022, driven by slips and falls
- In wholesale trade, struck-by incidents were 15% of cases in 2022
- Professional services had lowest TRIR at 0.9 per 100 FTE in 2022
- Waste management had 3.8 TRIR and 8.2 DAFWII rate in 2022
- In construction, falls to lower level were 35% of fatalities in 2022
- Manufacturing chemical exposures caused 5% of nonfatal illnesses in 2022
- Agriculture animal-related injuries were 20% of nonfatal cases in 2022
- Transportation warehousing had 5.2 TRIR with forklift incidents at 12% in 2022
- In education services, slips/trips caused 25% of cases in 2022
- Logging operations had 100+ fatalities per year average 2018-2022
- Roofing contractors had TRIR of 9.0 in 2022
Industry-Specific Statistics Interpretation
These sobering statistics prove that while some professions face daily hazards that would make an insurance agent faint, a truly safe workplace shouldn't feel like winning the lottery—it should be the guaranteed minimum.
Nonfatal Injuries
- In 2022, there were 847,310 private industry cases with days away from work
- Sprains, strains, tears were the most common nonfatal injury type, with 29.5% of DAFW cases in 2022
- Soreness and pain cases numbered 104,100 in private industry in 2022
- Fractures accounted for 8.4% of DAFW cases in 2022
- Cuts, lacerations, punctures were 7.8% of cases in 2022
- Bruises, contusions were 5.9% of nonfatal DAFW cases in 2022
- Overexertion involved 276,690 cases in 2022
- Falls on same level caused 146,210 cases in 2022
- Struck by object or equipment led to 144,410 cases in 2022
- The median days away from work for musculoskeletal disorders was 16 days in 2022
- Women accounted for 32.7% of DAFW cases in private industry in 2022
- Workers aged 25-34 had 25.4% of DAFW cases in 2022
- Healthcare practitioners had 72,970 DAFW cases in 2022
- Nursing assistants experienced 45,000 DAFW cases in 2022
- Laborers and material movers had 105,780 cases in 2022
- Retail salespersons reported 28,860 DAFW cases in 2022
- Cooks had 34,210 nonfatal cases in 2022
- Janitors and cleaners had 40,500 cases in 2022
- Driver/sales workers and truck drivers had 62,470 cases in 2022
- Construction industry saw 149,000 cases with days away in 2022
- Manufacturing had 116,100 DAFW cases in 2022
- Construction laborers had a median of 12 days away from work per case in 2022
- Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers had a median of 25 days away in 2022
Nonfatal Injuries Interpretation
It seems we've collectively decided that the primary occupational hazard is the human body itself, given that sprains, strains, and overexertion top the charts, landing our most essential workers—from healthcare heroes to construction crews—on the couch for a median of two to three weeks to contemplate the merits of better ergonomics.