Behind every statistic in the 5,486 lives lost to workplace injuries in 2022 is a story that ended too soon, a stark reminder that safety is a right, not a privilege.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, there were 5,486 fatal workplace injuries in the United States, marking a 5.7% increase from 5,190 in 2021.
- The U.S. fatal work injury rate in 2022 was 3.7 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, up from 3.6 in 2021.
- Transportation incidents accounted for 1,779 fatal work injuries in the U.S. in 2022, representing 37.2% of total workplace deaths.
- The ILO estimates 2.78 million work-related deaths globally each year, with 2.4 million from occupational diseases.
- In 2019, occupational accidents caused 340,000 global fatalities annually, per ILO.
- Agriculture accounts for 27% of global work-related deaths, affecting 1 farm worker per hour.
- In the U.S. construction sector, 1,056 workers died in 2022, rate of 13.1 per 100,000 FTE.
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting had 537 fatal injuries in U.S. 2022, rate 23.1 per 100,000.
- Mining, quarrying, oil/gas extraction: 134 deaths in U.S. 2022, highest rate 15.0 per 100,000.
- Transportation incidents were the top cause of U.S. workplace deaths in 2022 with 1,779 cases, 37.2%.
- Falls to lower level: 697 fatalities in U.S. 2022, part of 865 total falls.
- Struck by object or equipment: 503 U.S. deaths in 2022.
- Heavy truck drivers had 904 fatal injuries in U.S. 2022.
- Construction laborers: 318 deaths in U.S. 2022.
- Grounds maintenance workers: 283 fatal injuries U.S. 2022.
Workplace deaths increased in 2022, with transportation incidents being the leading cause.
By Cause
1Transportation incidents were the top cause of U.S. workplace deaths in 2022 with 1,779 cases, 37.2%.
Verified2Falls to lower level: 697 fatalities in U.S. 2022, part of 865 total falls.
Verified3Struck by object or equipment: 503 U.S. deaths in 2022.
Verified4Motor vehicle crashes: 1,069 fatal work injuries in U.S. 2022.
Directional5Pedestrian struck by vehicle: 310 U.S. workplace deaths 2022.
Single source6Exposure to electricity: 144 fatalities in U.S. 2022.
Verified7Drowning: 71 fatal work injuries in U.S. 2022.
Verified8Fire/explosion: 79 deaths in U.S. workplaces 2022.
Verified9Shooting: 594 intentional injuries by persons in U.S. 2022.
Directional10Stabbing: 86 U.S. workplace fatalities 2022.
Single source11Globally, falls from height cause 28% of construction deaths.
Verified12Machinery accidents: 39,000 global deaths yearly.
Verified13Chemical exposures lead to 2 million work-related deaths annually worldwide.
Verified14Asbestos exposure causes 255,000 cancer deaths globally per year.
Directional15Silica dust: 545,000 deaths from COPD/silicosis worldwide.
Single source16Diesel exhaust: 270,000 lung cancer deaths annually global.
Verified17In EU, falls from height: 25% of fatal accidents in 2021.
Verified18EU struck by moving objects: 15% of fatalities 2021.
Verified19Vehicle-related: 22% of EU workplace deaths 2021.
Directional20Violence at work in U.S.: 761 homicides in 2022.
Single source21Overexertion caused 151 U.S. fatal injuries in 2022.
Verified22Oxygen deficiency: 72 deaths in U.S. 2022.
VerifiedBy Cause Interpretation
Behind every sobering statistic lies a simple, tragic truth: in the modern workplace, the commute remains a deadly gauntlet, a slip can be a final step, and the very air we work in can carry a silent, slow verdict.
By Industry
1In the U.S. construction sector, 1,056 workers died in 2022, rate of 13.1 per 100,000 FTE.
Verified2Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting had 537 fatal injuries in U.S. 2022, rate 23.1 per 100,000.
Verified3Mining, quarrying, oil/gas extraction: 134 deaths in U.S. 2022, highest rate 15.0 per 100,000.
Verified4Manufacturing sector recorded 373 U.S. workplace fatalities in 2022.
Directional5Trade, transportation, utilities: 1,645 deaths in U.S. 2022, 32.3% of total.
Single source6Leisure and hospitality had 193 fatal work injuries in U.S. 2022.
Verified7Globally, agriculture causes 27% of work-related fatalities, about 750,000 deaths yearly.
Verified8Construction globally: 60,000 fatal falls annually.
Verified9Mining fatalities: 28,000 worldwide per year per ILO.
Directional10Transportation sector: 40% of U.S. fatalities, 1,779 in 2022.
Single source11Healthcare and social assistance: 462 deaths in U.S. 2022.
Verified12Public administration: 140 fatal injuries in U.S. 2022.
Verified13In EU-27, construction had 807 fatal accidents in 2021.
Verified14Manufacturing in EU: 475 fatal accidents in 2021.
Directional15Wholesale/retail in EU: 346 workplace deaths in 2021.
Single source16Agriculture in EU: 335 fatal accidents in 2021.
Verified17Transport/storage in EU: 1,340 deaths in 2021.
Verified18U.S. oil/gas extraction: 50 deaths in 2022.
Verified19Fishing industry: 37 U.S. deaths in 2022.
Directional20Logging: 52 fatal injuries in U.S. 2022.
Single source21Globally, manufacturing: 400,000 work-related deaths yearly.
VerifiedBy Industry Interpretation
Behind every one of these grim, abstract percentages lies a concrete tragedy, starkly reminding us that we've normalized human sacrifice as a line item in the cost of doing business.
By Occupation
1Heavy truck drivers had 904 fatal injuries in U.S. 2022.
Verified2Construction laborers: 318 deaths in U.S. 2022.
Verified3Grounds maintenance workers: 283 fatal injuries U.S. 2022.
Verified4Roofers: 103 U.S. workplace deaths 2022.
Directional5First-line supervisors of construction: 132 fatalities U.S. 2022.
Single source6Farmers, ranchers, agricultural managers: 171 deaths U.S. 2022.
Verified7Driver/sales workers and truck drivers combined: 1,115 U.S. fatalities 2022.
Verified8Logging workers: 52 deaths, highest rate 100.5 per 100k U.S. 2022.
Verified9Fishers and related fishing workers: 37 fatalities U.S. 2022.
Directional10Aircraft pilots and flight engineers: 46 deaths U.S. 2022.
Single source11Garbage and recyclable collectors: 43 fatal injuries U.S. 2022.
Verified12Structural iron/steel workers: 25 deaths U.S. 2022.
Verified13Helpers in construction trades: 44 fatalities U.S. 2022.
Verified14Landscaping supervisors: 22 deaths U.S. 2022.
Directional15In EU, drivers/motor vehicle operators: highest fatal accidents 2021.
Single source16EU construction laborers: second highest occupation deaths 2021.
Verified17Globally, farmers face highest occupational death risks.
Verified18Miners: 12.8 deaths per 100k globally.
Verified19Construction laborers worldwide: 20% of sector deaths.
DirectionalBy Occupation Interpretation
Behind the everyday convenience of a delivered package, a built home, or fresh food lies a sobering ledger of risk, where professions involving transportation, heights, and the raw elements dominate the grim accounting of on-the-job mortality.
Global Statistics
1The ILO estimates 2.78 million work-related deaths globally each year, with 2.4 million from occupational diseases.
Verified2In 2019, occupational accidents caused 340,000 global fatalities annually, per ILO.
Verified3Agriculture accounts for 27% of global work-related deaths, affecting 1 farm worker per hour.
Verified4Construction represents 30% of global fatal occupational injuries.
Directional5Globally, 630,000 workers die from work-related diseases each year, per WHO/ILO.
Single source6Over 350,000 workers die annually from exposure to hazards like carcinogens globally.
Verified7In low- and middle-income countries, 68% of global fatal occupational injuries occur.
Verified8Asia and Pacific region sees over 1.2 million work-related deaths yearly.
Verified9Africa has a work-related death rate of 19.5 per 100,000 workers.
Directional10Europe reports 5.6 fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 workers annually.
Single source11Americas region averages 11.0 work-related deaths per 100,000 workers.
Verified12160 million non-fatal work injuries occur globally each year, alongside 2.78 million deaths.
Verified13Pneumoconioses cause 433,000 global work-related deaths yearly.
Verified14Agricultural workers face 236 million non-fatal injuries globally per year.
Directional15Mining sector has a global fatality rate 10 times higher than average industries.
Single source16Globally, 1.7 billion workers are exposed to occupational carcinogens.
Verified17Long working hours cause 745,000 deaths annually worldwide, 55% from stroke.
Verified18398,000 workers die yearly from heart disease due to excessive hours globally.
Verified19In 2016, global work-related deaths totaled 3.6 million per ILO estimates.
Directional20Construction fatalities worldwide: 108,000 per year from accidents.
Single sourceGlobal Statistics Interpretation
These staggering statistics, a litany of preventable tragedies, prove that our workplaces have become weapons of mass destruction, claiming millions of lives while hiding behind the mundane language of industry and hazard.
Trends Over Time
1U.S. workplace fatalities decreased 11% from 2019 to 2020 due to COVID impacts.
Verified2From 2011-2020, U.S. total fatal injuries averaged 4,693 annually.
Verified3U.S. fatal injury rate declined from 4.0 in 2011 to 3.5 in 2020 per 100k.
Verified4Transportation deaths in U.S. rose 6.7% from 2021 to 2022.
Directional5U.S. falls fatalities increased 3.2% in 2022 over 2021.
Single source6Violence-related U.S. deaths up 7.1% from 2021 to 2022.
Verified7Construction fatalities in U.S. down 6.2% from 2021 peak.
Verified8Global work-related deaths stable at ~2.8 million annually since 2010.
Verified9EU fatal accident rate fell from 3.3 in 2012 to 1.7 per 100k in 2021.
Directional10U.S. Hispanic worker fatalities up 8.2% from 2021 to 2022.
Single source11Older workers (65+) U.S. fatalities increased 11% in 2022.
Verified12COVID-19 caused spike: 5,060 U.S. excess deaths 2020-2021.
VerifiedTrends Over Time Interpretation
While overall trends suggest some progress in U.S. workplace safety, the devil remains alarmingly in the details, where rising deaths in transport, falls, violence, and among Hispanic and older workers reveal a stubbornly persistent human cost hiding behind the marginally improved statistics.
United States Statistics
1In 2022, there were 5,486 fatal workplace injuries in the United States, marking a 5.7% increase from 5,190 in 2021.
Verified2The U.S. fatal work injury rate in 2022 was 3.7 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers, up from 3.6 in 2021.
Verified3Transportation incidents accounted for 1,779 fatal work injuries in the U.S. in 2022, representing 37.2% of total workplace deaths.
Verified4Falls, slips, and trips caused 865 fatal injuries in the U.S. workplace in 2022, the second-leading cause at 18.7%.
Directional5In 2022, contact with objects and equipment led to 691 U.S. workplace fatalities, comprising 14.9% of the total.
Single source6Exposure to harmful substances or environments resulted in 703 fatal work injuries in the U.S. in 2022, or 15.2%.
Verified7Intentional injuries by other persons caused 912 workplace deaths in the U.S. in 2022, accounting for 19.7%.
Verified8Violence and other injuries caused 536 fatal work injuries in the U.S. in 2022.
Verified9The construction industry had 1,056 fatal work injuries in the U.S. in 2022, 20.7% of total fatalities.
Directional10Transportation and warehousing recorded 1,034 workplace deaths in the U.S. in 2022.
Single source11In 2021, U.S. workplace fatalities totaled 5,190, with a rate of 3.6 per 100,000 FTE workers.
Verified12Private industry accounted for 4,988 fatal injuries in the U.S. in 2022, while government saw 385.
Verified13Self-employed workers had 897 fatal injuries in the U.S. in 2022.
Verified14Wage and salary workers experienced 4,589 workplace deaths in the U.S. in 2022.
Directional15In 2022, 954 fatal work injuries occurred among Hispanic or Latino workers in the U.S.
Single source16Black or African American workers had 1,056 fatal workplace injuries in the U.S. in 2022.
Verified17White non-Hispanic workers accounted for 3,056 U.S. workplace fatalities in 2022.
Verified18Men experienced 4,919 fatal work injuries in the U.S. in 2022, compared to 351 for women.
Verified19Workers aged 25-34 had 1,312 fatal injuries in the U.S. workplace in 2022.
Directional20In 2022, 16% of U.S. fatal work injuries involved workers age 55 and older.
Single source21Foreign-born Hispanic or Latino workers had 618 fatal injuries in the U.S. in 2022.
Verified22Native-born workers accounted for 3,934 U.S. workplace deaths in 2022.
Verified23The fatal injury rate for truck drivers in the U.S. was 30.1 per 100,000 FTE in 2022.
Verified24Roofers had a U.S. fatal injury rate of 51.8 per 100,000 FTE workers in 2022.
Directional25Fishers and fishing workers faced a rate of 75.2 fatal injuries per 100,000 FTE in the U.S. in 2022.
Single source26Loggers had the highest U.S. rate at 100.5 fatal work injuries per 100,000 FTE in 2022.
Verified27Aircraft pilots had 28.3 fatal injuries per 100,000 FTE in the U.S. in 2022.
Verified28In 2020, U.S. COVID-19 related workplace deaths reached 4,764, per CDC estimates.
Verified29Total U.S. workplace fatalities in 2019 were 5,333.
DirectionalUnited States Statistics Interpretation
This alarming data reveals that while every workplace fatality is a profound human tragedy, the grim reality is that some jobs are essentially playing a deadly game of roulette with dramatically tilted odds.