25+ Eye-Opening Workplace Injury Statistics for 2022

Top Workplace Injury Statistics 2022: Falls, Trips, and Slips

Workplace Injury Statistics: According to the ILO (The International Labour Organization), approximately 2.3 million people worldwide die annually due to work-related injuries. That is 6,000 people per day!

There are several causes behind work-related illnesses or accidents: job-related risks, unsafe conditions, and human factors (substance abuse, lack of attention, etc.). Although poor working conditions are primarily to blame—in third-world countries, for example, there is a lack of essential safety equipment and regulations, which increases the risk of work-related injury.

These three groups not only determine the rates of such accidents but also shape the work-related injury stats that we will be looking into in the article.

So what are the most severe threats? And what should we prioritize to keep ourselves safe? Let’s get started:

Workplace Injury Statistics (Editor’s Choice)

• Every year, over 600,000 people are killed due to exposure to hazardous substances at work.
• Annually, 340 million work-related injuries occur.
• There are 50% fewer occupational deaths in the United States than 50 years ago.
• Africa’s overall workplace mortality rate is extremely high-20 deaths per 100,000 workers.
• In 2020, over 4,500 Americans died at the workplace.
• Taxi drivers were at very high risk of homicide during the 70s through to 90s (66 per 100,000 work hours).
• 3.5% of all workplace deaths involve suicide.

Workplace Injury General Statistics

#1. More than 600,000 people are killed each year by hazardous substances at the workplace.

This list includes, for example, dangerous chemicals. There are millions of people working with hazardous chemicals worldwide every day. Unfortunately, many die due to poor safety regulations, inherent risk, or lack of care.

Statistics on workplace safety are often hidden or underreported, misrepresented, or purposefully hidden. In the Commonwealth of Independent Countries (CIS), approximately 6,000 work-related deaths are reported each year. The International Labour Organization believes that this is a gross underestimation of the actual number and puts it at around 11,000.
(Source: ILO)

#2. Each year, approximately 340 million workplace accidents happen.

This figure is on top of the 160 million people who suffer from work-related illnesses each year.
However, it should be noted that around 340 million workplace accidents that occur each year mainly happen within smaller groups of people, with the remainder of the population being relatively accident-free.

Let’s end this one with a positive note. Among the 160 million poor people suffering from occupational diseases every year, only 60 million can recover. In the following year’s data, “only” the same 100 million people who continue to suffer from the same ailments are counted.
(Source: ILO)

#3. Older workers (above 65 years old) die at the workplace rate is 10.3 times per 100,000 workers.

The fatality rate for workers aged 55 to 65 is also higher than that of younger workers – 4.6 per 100,000.
Many cognitive and psychological changes are associated with old age. Some of these can lead to accidents at the workplace. For example, response time increases, speed of reaction decreases, vigilance decreases, and overall physical strength and resilience fall.

Senior farmers in America seem to be particularly vulnerable as they account for around 80% of occupational fatalities in this entire sector. Therefore, it is not surprising that states like Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas have the highest proportions of older workers in terms of total fatalities.

The fatal accidents involve handling heavy equipment and vehicles, particularly non-roadways, and non-collision transportation incidents, like tractor turnover.
(Source: BLS)

#4. In 2020, there were 4,764 fatal work-related accidents happened in the United States.

It’s a horrible activity to read through recent workplace death stats. But knowing the truth is the only way to improve it. Fortunately, there has been some progress.

For instance, fatal occupational accidents have decreased in the United States- the number is still significant, but there is a 10% drop between 2019 and 2020. This means that there are nearly 3.4 work-related injuries per 100,000 American employees.

A deeper analysis reveals that transportation accidents are responsible for 37% of all workplace fatal injuries. These include several things such as falling off machines, mishandling construction vehicles, etc. Those working in the construction, material moving, and construction industries account for a significant proportion of all such fatalities (47%).

Even though there are fewer risks associated with office-based jobs, they are much less severe than those associated with other occupations. In 2020, around 269 people died n work-related accidents. In the same year, 259 people committed suicide at the workplace.

Women are less likely than men to die at the workplace, accounting for 8.1% of deaths. This is possibly due to more dangerous steps being taken chiefly by men.

Furthermore, the death rate for flight engineers and aircraft pilots is 34 per 100,000 employees. This is significantly lower compared to 2019, though it may be due to the relative inactivity of the aviation industry in 2020, during the Coronavirus pandemic. The death rate for hunters and fishers is still high, with 131 fatal injuries at the workplace per 100,000 workers.
(Source: BLS)

OSHA Statistics

OSHA stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

#5. Between 1970 and 2019, the number of work-related deaths in the United States fell by more than 50%.

OSHA’s injury stats sometimes provide more information than we need.
In 1970, 38 people died from occupational injuries. This number fell to 15 in 2019.
Similarly, there were around 10.9 work-related accidents per 100 employees in 1927. In 2019, that ratio was only 2.8 per 100 employees.

You can be sure that things have improved over the last 50-years.
(Source: OSHA)

#6. According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration, one in five work fatalities occurs in the construction industry.

The agency maintains a list of the most often violated safety rules. It is as follows:

• Hazard communication standard.
• Scaffolding safety.
• Fall protection training.
• Control of dangerous energy sources.
• Face and eye protection.
• Hazard communication standard.
• Ladders safety.
• Machinery handling.
• Handling of industrial trucks.
• Fall protection.

This listing provides a good overview of various safety and protection issues as well as the types of construction accidents, which is quite helpful.
(Source: OSHA)

#7. Transportation mishaps are the leading cause of fatal injuries, accounting for 37% of all fatal work-related deaths in the United States.

So, what is the leading cause of workplace accidents and deaths? We will try to answer that question using the most up-to-date US statistics.

These studies show that the majority of fatalities are directly related to transportation incidents. Why are they so common? Many reasons include human factors (e.g., substance abuse, age), poor working conditions (like equipment malfunction), random accidents, etc.
(Source: BLS)

#8. The private sector reported 2.7 million non-fatal illnesses and accidents in 2020.

While the number of accidents is reducing, many illnesses, particularly those related to respiratory disorders, have increased significantly in recent years.

In 2019, 12 incidences of illness per 10,000 workers were reported, compared to 55.9 cases per 10,000 employees in 2020.

Of course, we all know that the COVID-19 pandemic hit health professionals the hardest.
Unfortunately, the number of illnesses among repair and maintenance workers was very high in 2020. The same is true for tractor and heavy- trailer drivers and laborers- material and stock movers.
(Source: BLS)

#9. The occupational death rate in Africa increased up to 21 deaths per 100,000 employees.

Most workplace deaths and accidents in Africa happen in transport, agriculture, construction, and mining. There are approximately 50 work injuries per 1,000 employees.
(Source: NCBI)

#10. 3.5% of all workplace deaths involve suicide.

According to the US Bureau of Labor workplace injury stats, approximately 200 workplace suicides occur each year in the United States.

According to the Bureau of Labor’s occupational injury data, around 200 workplace suicides occur each year in the United States. All occupations have a higher relative risk, including soldiers, detectives, police officers, etc.

Other risk factors include being a man, being older, being self-employed, and working in the agricultural industry. Despite this, administrators and managers account for the majority of workplace suicides.
(Source: BLS)

#11. Some doctors estimated that up to 96% of work-related injuries were simulated in the past.

Willis King was a railway surgeon who discovered in 1906 that 96% (or more) of all work-related injury cases were caused by malingering. (This is when someone fakes or exaggerates the severity of physical or psychological issues). Other experts, such as Judson Fisher, were more optimistic and claimed nearly 25%.

Workers were motivated to stay home because of the worsening working conditions at the beginning of the 20th Century. Faking injury was one of the best ways to do this. However, initial estimates of work-related injury stats were inaccurate because they included self-inflicted injury, similar to injury simulating but not the same in terms of intent and motive.
(Source: NCBI)

#12. 27% of all workplace injuries are due to burnout and overexertion.

Common psychological reasons for occupational injuries are anxiety, sleep disorders, depression, and low concentration. These conditions can all be associated with overexertion and burnout. However, psychological factors are still being studied in detail. It seems as if they need to be investigated more deeply to uncover the real causes of work injuries and fatalities.

Multiple factors can increase the risk of workplace injuries. For example, unsafe work conditions (lack of protective equipment or regulations) and high-stress levels can increase the risk of occupational accidents or fatalities. For instance, truck drivers who are compelled to stay on the road for days and handle old machinery-they are more likely to be involved in workplace accidents.

Furthermore, it can also work the other way. A person must heal and rehabilitate after being injured. Due to insurance pressure, employer pressure, and other factors, this process can often go wrong. Some injuries left untreated can lead to depression or other mental disorders.
(Source: Annual Reviews)

#13. Historically, taxi drivers were at the most significant risk of workplace fatality by homicide (66 fatalities per 100,000 work hours).

These figures are based on statistics from 1977 to 1991. They also demonstrate that those working in grocery stores (12 per 100,000 work hours) and protective services (7 per 100,000 work hours) are high-risk groups. It is alarming to see the percentage of work-homicide fatalities among taxi drivers between 1977 and 1991.

On a more positive side, a recent study shows that the homicide rate in this business is decreasing.

However, drivers who work for Lyft, Uber, or others are often victims of violence. Lyft’s cars were the scene of over 4,000 assaults, 10 fatal. Most of us are familiar with the stories of murders impersonating Uber drivers, but these figures give a more detailed picture of the warnings and threats.
(Source: WileyLibrary)

#14. In some industries, the rates of malingering can rise to 40%.

NeuroToxicology, a scientific journal, recently published an article that revealed that up to 40% of alleged cognitive issues associated with toxic substances at the workplace are faked.

However, because this study only contained 128 cases, the sample is not representative. Nonetheless, it provides at least a partial understanding of various trends, indicating that malingering is still occurring and can be pretty common in specific industries and contexts.
(Source: ScienceDirect)

Workplace Injury by Industry Statistics

#15. By industry, construction has one of the highest rates of on-the-job deaths in the United States.

According to OSHA statistics, 20% of all employee deaths in the private sector in 2019 were at construction sites. The federal report states that 1,061 construction workers died in 2019. This accounts for one out of five U.S. worker’s deaths in the United States.

In addition, 5,333 workers lost their lives on the job in 2019. According to the breakdown, approximately 15 workplace deaths were reported per day across the United States. On average, around three construction workers per day died on the job.
(Source: OSHA)

#16. In 2019, around 79,660 persons were injured at construction sites.

According to the BLS (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), nearly 9% of workplace injuries occurred at construction sites in 2019. This resulted in 21,170 strains, tears, and sprains, 13,190 fractures, and 10,950 lacerations, cuts, and punctures.
(Source:BLS)

#17. 15% of workplace injuries in the United States happen in manufacturing jobs.

According to BLS stats, among the private industries in the US, manufacturing jobs have the highest number of workplace injuries. In 2019, manufacturing worker sites reported around 3.3 cases of non-fatal injuries and illnesses per 100 workers, which amounts to 421,400 people injured or sick at work.

64,640 workers out of the 421,400 workers could not work because of illness or injury they sustained while on duty. 32,470 or 28% of those missed work due to several injuries like sprain, tear, or strain. Around 16,790 or 16% had pain or soreness, and 15,380 or 13.3% had a puncture, cut, or laceration.
(Source: BLS)

#18. The workplace injury rate for men in the private sector is 7% higher than that of male government employees.

BLS data show that nearly 60% of workplace injuries in 2019 in the private sector were sustained by men, while 40% were women. During the same time, when you look at employees who were injured while on the job, 53% of those injuries were suffered by men and 47% by women.
(Source: BLS)

#19. Line cooks are at the most significant risk of contracting Coronavirus disease while on the job.

A University of San Francisco, California study has shown that line cooks are the most vulnerable to getting Coronavirus disease at their work. In addition, line cooks are most at risk of contracting the contagious illness and getting sick from it.

The study showed that line cooks suffered a 60% rise in death during the height of the Coronavirus disease. The global pandemic also increased more than 50% mortality rates for line workers in warehouses, cooks, bakers, construction laborers, and agricultural workers.

Top Causes of Workplace Injuries

#20. In the US, overexertion, falls, slips and trips are the reasons for over 75% of all occupational injury cases.

What is the most common injury that Americans suffer?
The National Safety Council in America points out that falls, slips, trips, and overexertion account for a significant percentage of work-related injuries.

Some work-related accident stats from other countries show a different picture. The most common workplace injuries in the United Kingdom are those caused by falling from a height, manual handling, and moving objects.

These are the leading causes of occupational injuries. There are also several indirect causes. For example, substance use could be responsible for many work-related accidents, especially for those who work in a high-risk environment.
(Source: NSC)

#21. The most common workplace injuries in the United States are bodily reactions, slips, falls, and trips.

The most common causes of workplace injuries in the United States are overexertion, slips, trips, bodily reaction, and falls. Typically, this results in 13 days’ absence from work.

This is the equivalent of the country’s leading cause of workplace injury- contact with equipment and objects, which usually results in 5 days’ absence from work.

#22. In 2019, nearly 27.4% (non-fatal) workplace injuries in the private industry were due to trips, falls, and slips.

According to USBOLS (the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), 244,000 of the 888,220 workplace injuries resulting was time away from work in 2019 were due to trips, falls, and slips. This resulted in 75,420 strains, tears, sprains, 46,800 fractures, and 6,740 punctures, lacerations, and cuts.

Workplace Injury Demographic Statistics

#23. In 2019, less than half of injured employees at the workplace missed work due to illness or injury.

The Department of Labor report shows that only 888,220 of the 2.8 million injured workers in 2019 missed work due to illness or injury. According to the data, 9 people per 100 workers in America’s private sector were injured at the workplace and missed a minimum of one day of work.

#24. On average, workers injured at the workplace typically miss eight days of work.

In 2019, eight days was the average time people were absent from work due to on-the-job injury or accident at the workplace. However, some industries recorded more time off work from work than the average time due to workplace injuries.

For example, in 2019, workplace injuries caused tractor and heavy-trailer truck drivers to miss an average of around 19 days of work, while light truck drivers missed an average of 20 days of employment. Also, the maintenance and material movers, freight, stock, and repairs workers miss an average of nearly 12 days of work.

#25. Delaware, Georgia, and Arkansas are the top three least dangerous states. Their workplace injury rates are lower than the national average.

Other states with non-fatal workplace injury and illness rates lower than the national average of 2.8 include Massachusetts, New York, Louisiana, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia, Texas, and South Carolina.
Maryland, Illinois, Alabama, Utah, Tennessee, and New Mexico have workplace injury rates similar to the national average.

#26. Texas and California had the highest number of workplace deaths in 2019 compared to other states in the US.

Labor statistics show that around 422 workers died at the workplace in California in 2019, and nearly 488 people died at the workplace in Texas in 2019. However, the death rates were high in both states, Texas had an incident rate of 3.8 per 100,000 full-time workers, and California had an incident rate of 2.3 per 100,000 full-time workers.

Other states with higher than average fatal workplace incidents rates included Alaska at 9.9 per 100,000 full-time employees, West Virginia at 7.9, Wyoming at 11.5 per 100,000 full-time employees, South Dakota at 6.9, North Dakota at 9.6, and Mississippi at 6.7 per 100,000 full-time employees.

#27. 21.3% of people who missed work in 2019 due to injuries at the workplace were between 25 to 34 years of age.

According to the BLS (the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) released data, 189,310 of the 888,220 people who were injured at the workplace and missed a minimum of one day of work due to that injury were between the ages of 25 to 34. Nearly 184,850, or 20.8%, were between the ages of 45 to 54.

Employees aged 14 to 15 suffered the fewest injuries, followed by those aged 16 to 19, those 65 and older, and those aged 20 to 24.

#28. Men are 17.3% more likely to be injured at work than women.

According to BLS information, in the private sector, nearly 91.7 of 10,000 men were injured in work-related accidents in 2019, while only 80.4 of the 10,000 full-time woman employees sustained such injuries. Therefore, men are 17.3% more likely than women to be injured at work.

However, the injury rates for women and men decreased between 2018 and 2019. In 2018, around 94.3 males and 83.4 females per 10,000 full-time workers sustained on-the-job injuries.

Conclusion

Working in dangerous places can sometimes lead to severe injuries and even death. As we have seen, different occupations have different inherent risks, and psychological factors can influence the incidence of some work-related accidents.

We saw that different occupations have different inherent risks. Psychological factors can also influence the risk of work-related injuries.

Fortunately, the majority of them can be avoided. We can significantly minimize the number of workplace accidents by paying more attention to safety laws and generally being more attentive. Stay safe!

Shivanjali Pawar

Shivanjali, a Digital Marketing Expert, regularly contributes to various industry-specific magazines. She is interested in tech statistics, SMO, and raising awareness about technical how-to guides. She can often be found exploring different places on weekends.