A shocking 5,486 lives were lost to workplace injuries in the United States in 2022 alone, a grim statistic that underscores a sobering global reality where millions are harmed on the job every year.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the United States recorded 5,486 fatal workplace injuries, a 5.7% increase from 2021
- Globally, 340 million workers suffer from occupational accidents annually according to ILO estimates for 2023
- In 2021, construction sector in the US had 1,056 fatal work injuries, accounting for 20.7% of all workplace fatalities
- In 2023, US nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses totaled 2.6 million cases involving days away from work
- US private industry saw 2,829,000 nonfatal injuries/illnesses in 2022, rate of 2.7 cases per 100 FTE
- Globally, 374 million non-fatal work accidents occur yearly per ILO 2023 data
- In US 2022, machinery caused 9% of nonfatal injuries in manufacturing
- Slips, trips, and falls accounted for 27% of US workplace injuries in 2022
- Globally, falls from height cause 28% of construction fatalities per ILO
- Construction sector US: 19.9% of all fatal injuries 2022 despite 5% workforce
- Healthcare/support services: 503,500 nonfatal cases US 2022, 16.9% of total
- Agriculture/forestry/fishing/hunting: highest fatal rate 23.1 per 100k US 2022
- US workplace injuries cost $167 billion in 2022
- Global work accidents cost 3.94% of GDP annually per ILO
- US fatal injuries increased 11% from 2019 to 2022
Global workplace accident statistics show alarmingly high and widespread preventable fatalities.
Causes
- In US 2022, machinery caused 9% of nonfatal injuries in manufacturing
- Slips, trips, and falls accounted for 27% of US workplace injuries in 2022
- Globally, falls from height cause 28% of construction fatalities per ILO
- In UK 2022/23, slips/trips caused 29% of nonfatal injuries
- Vehicle-related incidents led to 37% of transportation fatalities US 2022
- Overexertion from lifting caused 30% of US manufacturing injuries 2022
- Electrical incidents caused 2.1% of US fatal injuries in 2022
- Violence/assault accounted for 18% of healthcare worker injuries US 2022
- Machinery accidents caused 5% of EU work accidents in 2022
- Chemical exposures led to 4,300 US nonfatal cases in 2022
- In Australia, manual handling caused 32% of serious claims 2021/22
- Fires/explosions caused 2.8% of US fatal injuries 2022
- Needlestick injuries: 385,000 annually in US healthcare per CDC
- Fatigue contributed to 13% of US transportation accidents 2022
- In construction, struck-by incidents 9.3% of fatalities US 2022
- Repetitive strain caused 28% of UK work ill-health cases 2022/23
- Asbestos exposure linked to 39,000 EU deaths yearly
- In mining, roof falls caused 10% of fatalities US 2022
- Heat stress caused 43 US worker deaths 2011-2021
- Drowning accounted for 4% of US agriculture fatalities 2022
- Hand tools caused 6% of manufacturing injuries US 2022
- Noise-induced hearing loss: 22 million US workers exposed
- In 2022, falls to lower level 37.9% of construction fatalities US
- Confined spaces caused 103 US fatalities 2011-2018 avg
- In construction US 2022, 45.0% fatalities from fatal four (falls, struck, electrocution, caught-in)
Causes Interpretation
It seems our workplaces are collectively engaged in a grim and preventable ballet where gravity is the lead dancer, distraction is the choreographer, and the most common refrain is, "I thought I had a good grip on it."
Fatalities
- In 2022, the United States recorded 5,486 fatal workplace injuries, a 5.7% increase from 2021
- Globally, 340 million workers suffer from occupational accidents annually according to ILO estimates for 2023
- In 2021, construction sector in the US had 1,056 fatal work injuries, accounting for 20.7% of all workplace fatalities
- Australia reported 29 worker fatalities in manufacturing in 2022
- UK workplace fatalities totaled 135 in 2022/23, with falls from height causing 29
- In 2020, transportation incidents caused 1,938 fatal injuries in the US
- Canada had 919 workplace fatalities in 2021, rate of 5.5 per 100,000 workers
- EU-27 countries recorded 3,359 work-related fatalities in 2022
- Mining industry in South Africa saw 49 fatal accidents in 2022
- In Japan, 822 workers died from occupational accidents in 2022
- US agriculture, forestry, fishing sector had 573 fatal injuries in 2022
- Brazil reported over 1,300 occupational fatalities in 2021
- Germany had 878 workplace deaths in 2022
- India estimates 48,000 annual work-related deaths
- China reported 27,782 fatal accidents in 2022 across all sectors
- New Zealand had 37 work-related fatalities in 2022
- Russia recorded 1,675 workplace fatalities in 2022
- Mexico had 617 occupational fatalities in formal sector in 2021
- France reported 518 work fatalities in 2022
- Italy had 1,016 workplace deaths in 2022
- In 2022, contact with objects/equipment caused 727 fatal injuries in US
- Sweden reported 49 fatal accidents at work in 2022
- Turkey had 1,398 work-related deaths in 2022
- Argentina recorded 369 occupational fatalities in 2022
- In 2021, overexertion caused 12% of US fatal injuries in private industry
- Norway had 31 workplace fatalities in 2022
- Poland reported 284 fatal accidents in 2022
- Spain had 407 work-related deaths in 2022
- In 2022, US private industry fatal injury rate was 3.7 per 100,000 full-time workers
Fatalities Interpretation
Behind the patriotic hustle and spreadsheet of progress, the grim reaper is still clocking in, proving that the global workplace remains a lethally efficient machine, just not at keeping us alive.
Industries
- Construction sector US: 19.9% of all fatal injuries 2022 despite 5% workforce
- Healthcare/support services: 503,500 nonfatal cases US 2022, 16.9% of total
- Agriculture/forestry/fishing/hunting: highest fatal rate 23.1 per 100k US 2022
- Manufacturing: 332,700 injury cases US 2022, rate 3.4 per 100 FTE
- Transportation/warehousing: 800 fatal injuries US 2022
- Mining: fatal rate 11.1 per 100k US 2022
- Retail trade: 141,900 nonfatal cases US 2022
- Construction: 148,600 cases, highest total nonfatal US 2022
- Oil/gas extraction: 29.1 fatal rate per 100k US 2022
- Wholesale trade: 65.2 injury rate per 10k FTE US 2022
- Utilities: 2.5 fatal rate per 100k US 2022
- Leisure/hospitality: 452,300 nonfatal cases US 2022
- Logging: highest occupation fatal rate 82.2 per 100k US 2022
- Roofing: 51.8 fatal rate per 100k US 2022
- Fishery workers: 75.3 fatal rate US 2022
- Heavy truck drivers: 30.1 fatal rate US 2022
- Helpers construction trades: 40.3 fatal rate US 2022
- Landscaping workers: 20.6 fatal rate US 2022
- Food processing: 5.7 injury rate per 100 FTE US 2022
- Waste collection: 25.5 fatal rate US 2022
- Aircraft pilots/mechanics: high aviation incidents
- Electrical power-line installers: 19.2 fatal rate US 2022
- Structural iron/steel workers: 21.6 fatal rate US 2022
Industries Interpretation
Behind every chart showing sectors like agriculture and logging with fatality rates that would make a stunt double flinch lies the grim truth that for many workers, simply showing up is the most dangerous part of the job.
Injuries
- In 2023, US nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses totaled 2.6 million cases involving days away from work
- US private industry saw 2,829,000 nonfatal injuries/illnesses in 2022, rate of 2.7 cases per 100 FTE
- Globally, 374 million non-fatal work accidents occur yearly per ILO 2023 data
- In 2022, US construction had 148,600 nonfatal injury cases
- UK reported 565,000 non-fatal injuries from work in 2021/22
- Canada had 223,600 accepted lost-time claims in 2021
- EU-27 nonfatal accidents at work numbered 2.8 million in 2022
- Australia work-related injury claims reached 413,000 in 2021/22
- US healthcare sector reported 491,400 nonfatal cases in 2022
- In 2022, sprains/strains accounted for 258,100 days-away-from-work cases in US
- Germany recorded 773,000 reportable accidents in 2022
- Japan had 117,000 occupational injuries requiring 4+ days leave in 2022
- Brazil saw 555,000 nonfatal work accidents in 2021
- Manufacturing in US had 332,700 nonfatal injury cases in 2022
- France reported 370,000 accidents with sick leave in 2022
- Italy had 454,000 nonfatal workplace accidents in 2022
- In 2022, US slips/trips/falls caused 184,300 nonfatal cases with days away
- Sweden nonfatal work injuries totaled 24,000 cases in 2022
- South Korea reported 129,000 industrial accidents in 2022
- Overexertion in US caused 246,510 nonfatal cases in 2022
- UK construction nonfatal injuries: 65,000 in 2021/22
- Mexico had 186,198 nonfatal accidents in 2021
- Agriculture in US: 37,700 nonfatal injury cases in 2022
- Spain reported 546,000 nonfatal work accidents in 2022
- In 2022, struck-by objects caused 15.1% of US nonfatal cases
- Norway had 15,000 reportable injuries in 2022
- Poland nonfatal accidents: 78,000 in 2022
- Falls on same level caused 24% of US nonfatal cases in private industry 2022
Injuries Interpretation
It seems the global economy is running a tragic side-hustle as an injury factory, churning out millions of preventable, painful, and costly accidents each year while we all just go to work.
Trends and Costs
- US workplace injuries cost $167 billion in 2022
- Global work accidents cost 3.94% of GDP annually per ILO
- US fatal injuries increased 11% from 2019 to 2022
- Nonfatal cases declined 7.5% US 2020-2021 due to COVID
- Average cost per medically consulted injury US: $43,000 in 2022
- Workers' comp costs US: $62.2 billion in 2022
- PPE usage reduced injury risk by 60% in construction per OSHA
- UK ill-health costs £15.6 billion yearly
- Training programs cut accidents 20-40% per NSC
- Remote work reduced injuries 19% during pandemic US
- Average days away per case: 8.9 US private industry 2022
- Median days away: 9 days US 2022, up from 8 in 2021
- Cost per fatality US: $1.41 million in 2022 dollars
- EU accidents decreased 20% 2014-2022
- Australia serious claims frequency fell 28% 2000-2022
- OSHA fines averaged $15,052 per serious violation 2022
- Safety tech investments yield $4.41 return per $1 per NSC
- US injury rate private industry: 2.7 per 100 FTE 2022, stable from 2021
- Mental health claims rose 25% post-COVID Australia
- Ergonomics programs reduce MSDs 50% per OSHA
- Global trend: 2.78 million work deaths yearly stable
- US construction injury rate down 30% since 2011
- Insurance premiums rose 5.7% US 2023 due to claims
Trends and Costs Interpretation
The numbers tell a coldly efficient story: while we've made progress in preventing scrapes and sprains, the truly catastrophic failures—both in human life and financial hemorrhage—remain a stubborn, expensive blight on the global economy, proving that an ounce of prevention is worth about $4.41 in cure, but we still keep skimping on the ounces.
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