The most common workplace injuries are fall protection, safety communication, and respiratory protection; nevertheless, all kinds of injuries occur at work. And, believe it or not, in 2021 2.5 million workers visited an emergency room due to work-related injuries. This means if you are a small business without workers comp insurance you are putting yourself at risk. If you want to know which types of injuries are most common in the United States workplace, keep reading for a comprehensive list with some eye-opening statistics. You might be shocked by what you find!
Top Workplace Injury Statistics:
- Around 160 million people are victims of work-related illness worldwide, with about 340 million occupational accidents each year.
- Every year, over 3 million workers in the United States suffer an injury at work.
- 2.5 million workers were treated in emergency departments for workplace injuries in 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Every year, over 4,600 people die on the job in the United States.
- Slips, trips, and falls account for 27% of all non-fatal injuries.
- Every year, 29,000 workplace injuries are caused by touch with objects and equipment.
- There are only 2,000 OSHA inspectors enforcing safety standards for more than 8 million worksites.
- According to OSHA, construction is one of the most hazardous jobs and accounts for the greatest number of fatalities each year.
- About 16 Americans died per day in 2020 due to workplace fatalities compared to 38 people in 1970.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Most Common Work-Place Injury Statistics In America
2020 Workplace Deaths By Occupation
Number Of Workplace Injuries In America
Workplace Injury By Industry Statistics
American Workplace Injury Demographic Statistics
Concluding Thoughts
Most Common Work-Place Injury Statistics In America
What Are The Most Common Workplace Injuries?
OSHA has identified fall protection, hazard communication, and respiratory protection as the top three most common workplace injuries.
Although several of the top 10 most frequently violated OSHA standards in 2020 were construction-specific, such as ladder safety requirements, scaffolding rules, and fall protection on construction sites, most were found across all industries.
In 2020, OSHA identified the following general industry violations as being particularly hazardous:
- Failure to communicate hazards properly
- An absence of respiratory protection and eye and face protection
- Uncontrolled hazardous energy
- Risks posed by powered industrial trucks and equipment
- Machine guarding without training on fall-prevention precautions.
In the United States, overexertion and bodily reaction (slips, trips, falls), contact with objects and equipment, and bodily reactions cause 84 percent of all nonfatal injuries resulting in time away from work.
The majority of nonfatal workplace injuries in the United States are caused by instances involving excessive physical activity, such as strenuous heavy lifting, pushing, and straining repetitive motions. Accidents involving equipment are also prevalent.
Workers who are over 50 years old are at an increased risk of injury, as shown by studies. According to statistics, the rate per 10,000 full-time employees for overexertion and physiological reaction is 27, for falls is 23.9, for slips and trips is 22.4, and for contact with objects and equipment is 22.4.
Employees aged 45 to 55 suffer the most from overexertion-related injuries, bodily response-related injuries (21), falls (22), slips (24), and trips (26).
In 2019, slips, trips, and falls were the cause of about 27.4% of nonfatal workplace injuries in the private sector.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, falls, slips, and trips were responsible for 244,000 workplace injuries that resulted in time away from work in 2019, resulting in 75,420 sprains, strains, and tears, 46,800 fractures (fractures not involving dislocations), and 6,740 cuts (lacerations) and lacerations (punctures).
Overexertion and bodily reaction, as well as falls, slips, and trips, account for the longest time off from work among the three most prevalent causes of occupational injury in the United States.
Over-exertion and bodily reaction, as well as falls, slips, and trips, are the top two causes of workplace injury in the United States. In contrast to the country's third greatest cause of workplace injury — contact with objects and equipment –which generally lasts 5 days away from work – these injuries typically result in 13 days off.
Workplace Death & Injury Trends
Workplace deaths in the United States have decreased by more than 60%.
According to OSHA, workplace fatalities in the United States decreased by 60.53 percent in 2019, when compared to 1970. In just about 50 years, on-the-job deaths have dropped from 38 per day in 1970 to 15 per day today, according to OSHA.
In 47 years, the workplace accident and sickness rate in the United States have dropped by almost 74%.
Workers were being injured or sick at a rate of 74.3 percent less in 2019 than they were in 1972, according to data from the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). According to survey results, there were approximately 10.9 incidents per 100 workers in 1972. In 2019, there were about 2.8 incidents per every 100 workers.
2020 Workplace Deaths By Occupation
Top 5 Occupations With The Highest Number Of Workplace Deaths
- Transportation and material moving - 1,282 Workplace Deaths
- Construction - 976 Workplace Deaths
- Installation Maintenance & Repair - 393 Workplace Deaths
- Management - 361 Workplace Deaths
- Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance - 307 Workplace Deaths
Top 5 Occupations With The Lowest Amount Of Workplace Deaths
- Legal - 5 Workplace Deaths
- Computer and mathematical - 8 Workplace Deaths
- Educational instruction and library occupations - 13 Workplace Deaths
- Life, physical, and social science - 17 Workplace Deaths
- Business and financial operations - 23 Workplace Deaths
Number Of Workplace Injuries In America
How Many Workplace Injuries Occur Each Year?
On average, every year in the United States, 2.8 out of every 100 workers are injured at work. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 2.8 people out of every 100 are injured at work every year in the United States and there are around 2.8 million nonfatal on-the-job accidents and injuries each year throughout the country's private employment sector.
OSHA has a 2021 budget of $591,787,000.
OSHA's budget has increased by $10 million since 2020 when it was $581,787,000. OSHA's annual funding in 2019 was $557,787,000.
1,850 OSHA inspectors are working for the federal government and state partners across the United States who are in charge of the safety of 130 million workers.
The nationwide safety organization, Federal OSHA, only has ten regional offices and 85 local offices, yet the state partners have 8 million total worksites across the country. There is roughly one inspector for every 70,000 employees in the United States with 1,850 federal and state OSHA inspectors conducting 33,393 federal inspections and 42,063 state inspections in 2019.
Workplace Injury By Industry Statistics
Manufacturing workplaces account for 15% of workplace injuries in the United States.
According to BLS data, the manufacturing sector has the highest rate of work-related injuries. In 2019, 3.3 reportable non-fatal injuries or illnesses per 100 employees were recorded in manufacturing worksites, resulting in 421,400 persons being injured or becoming sick at work.
64,640 workers missed at least one day of work as a result of the accident or sickness they experienced on shift. 28 percent (32,470) got sprains, strains, and tares; 14.5 percent (16,790) had discomfort or pain; and 13.3 percent (15,380) had cuts, lacerations, and punctures.
In the United States, construction has some of the highest on-the-job fatality rates in any industry.
According to OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, construction sites were responsible for 20% of employee fatalities in the private sector in 2019.
Also, according to the federal study, 1,061 construction workers died in 2019, accounting for one out of every five worker deaths that year throughout the United States.
Workplace deaths numbered about 15 per day across the country during 2019. As a result, around three construction workers perished on the job every day throughout the year.
According to recent research from the University of California, San Francisco, line cooks are most prone to contracting COVID-19 at work.
Line cooks are also at the greatest danger of dying from an occupational illness as a result of contracting the epidemic virus.
Lineworkers had a 60 percent higher chance of death during the peak of the worldwide pandemic, according to research. Cooks, warehouse line staff, farmers, bakers, and construction laborers all had mortality rates greater than 50% during the worldwide pandemic.
Construction-related injuries caused 79,660 people to be hurt in 2019.
Construction sites are dangerous, and according to data published by the U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics, 9% of workplace injuries in 2019 occurred there, resulting in 21,170 sprains, strains, and tears, 13,190 fractures, and 10,950 cuts.
American Workplace Injury Demographic Statistics
What Percent Of Workplace Deaths Are Male?
In 2019, male workers died at a rate of 7.5 percent (366 out of 4,896) in the workplace, and Homicide was responsible for around 20% of female employee fatalities (88 out of 437).
On average, men are hurt on the job 17.3% more frequently than women.
According to BLS statistics, in the private sector, 91.7 out of every 10,000 full-time male workers were hurt at work in 2019, compared to 80.4 out of 10,000 full-time female employees (or 17.3% more likely to be injured), implying that men are 17.3 percent more likely to be injured at work than women. Between 2018 and 2019, however, both injury rates for males and females dropped significantly. In each year from 2018 through 2020.
Men's work injury rates are 7% higher than those of male government employees.
According to BLS statistics, 60% of all private-sector workplace injuries in 2019 were male, while 40% were female. When looking at the same period for government workers who were injured on the job, however, 53% of injuries were sustained by males and 47% by females.
According to BLS statistics, 60% of all private-sector workplace injuries in 2019 were male, while 40% were female. When looking at the same period for government workers who were injured on the job, however, 53% of injuries were sustained by males and 47% by females.
People 65 years of age and older usually stay home from work for twice as long following an injury than the national average.
According to BLS statistics, 60% of all private-sector workplace injuries in 2019 were male, while 40% were female. When looking at the same period for government workers who were injured on the job, however, 53% of injuries were sustained by males and 47% by females.
21.3% of employees aged 25 to 34 were more likely to miss work in 2019 because of on-the-job injuries.
In the United States, 888,220 people were hurt at work and missed at least one day of work as a result of that accident, according to data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The ages 25 to 34 and 45 to 54 accounted for 189,310 or 19% of all workplace injuries, with 184,850 or 20.8 percent between 45 and 54 years old.
Employees aged 14 to 15 had the fewest injuries (14-15), followed by those 16-19 years old (16-19), persons 65 and older (65+), and workers 20-24 years old (20-24).
In 2019, the states of California and Texas had the most workplace fatalities compared to any other state in the United States.
In 2019, 488 workers died on the job in Texas, and 422 people died on the job in California.
Although the fatality rates were high in both states, California had a higher incident rate of 2.3 per 100,000 full-time employees, compared to Texas' 3.8 per 100,000 full-time employees.
Other states with higher than average fatal workplace accident rates included Wyoming (incident rate of 11.5), Alaska (9.9), North Dakota (9.6), West Virginia (7.9), South Dakota (6 .9) , and Mississippi (6 .7).
Arkansas, Delaware, and Georgia are the top three safest states, with workplace injury rates that are below the national average.
Workplace sickness and injury rates in Alabama, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Utah are comparable to the national average of 2.8 percent. Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (2), New Jersey (3), New York (4), North Carolina (5) Ohio (6) South Carolina Texas (9) Virginia (22).
On average, workers who are injured at work miss eight days of work.
In the commercial sector in 2019, the median number of days individuals were unable to work due to an on-the-job accident or injury was eight. Some businesses, however, had higher than average time away from work owing to workplace injuries. Workplace injuries in 2019 resulted in heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers missing an average of 19 days of work, light truck drivers losing an average of 20 days of income, and material movers and maintenance repair employees losing a total of 12 days' wages.
Only about half of all employees who are hurt at work miss time due to their job-related injury or illness.
According to the Department of Labor, just 888,220 of the 2.8 million individuals injured in 2019 missed at least one day of work due to their injury or illness. The data revealed that .9 people per every 100 workers in the United States' private business industry were hurt on the job and were unable to work for at least one day as a result of their injuries.
What Percentage Of employees actively seek redeployment?
The industry standard for redeployment with the same employer is 89.5% whereas the industry standard for redeployment to a new employer is 60.5%. However, using resources from job search tools like Jooble or Indeed could probably help you figure out ways to increase your chances of redeployment to a new employer if you are looking to change your career path.
Concluding Thoughts
Taking Action
America has seen a significant reduction in workplace injuries and deaths over the past decade, but we still have work to do. A lot of people don't realize that the workplace is a dangerous environment, as evidenced by these statistics about workplace injury rates.
The statistics vary by occupation and industry type, so it's important for business owners to understand their risks when hiring new employees or starting up a company.
If you are a small business owner and aren't covered, you can click here for an instant workers comp insurance quote.
FAQs
What are the top 5 most common workplace injuries? ›
- Trips, Slips And Falls. ...
- Being Struck By Or Caught In Moving Machinery. ...
- Vehicle Related Accidents. ...
- Fire And Explosions. ...
- Repetitive Stress and Overexertion Injuries.
...
2021 Occupational Safety Highlights.
Preventable injury-related deaths | 4,472 |
---|---|
Medically consulted injuries | 4,260,000 |
Workers | 152,581 |
Costs | Not yet available |
Slips, trips, and falls
Slips, trips, and falls are some of the most common types of workplace injuries and are the top reason for worker's compensation claims.
1. Overexertion. Overexertion can happen with lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, carrying, or throwing objects.
What are the top 4 causes of injuries in the workplace? ›- #1 Slips, Trips and Falls. ...
- #2 Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI) ...
- #3 Mental Injuries. ...
- #4 Muscular Handling Injuries. ...
- #5 Machinery and Equipment Injuries. ...
- Look for Patterns.
- Patellofemoral Syndrome. The majority of sports injuries involve the lower body, particularly knee injuries.
- Shoulder Injury. ...
- Tennis or Golf Elbow. ...
- Hamstring Strain. ...
- Sciatica. ...
- Shin Splints. ...
- Groin Pull. ...
- Concussion. ...
- Overexertion.
- Same Level Falls.
- Struck by Object or Equipment.
- Falls to Lower Level.
- Bodily Reactions or Other Exertions.
- Motorized Vehicle Accidents.
- Slip or Trip with No Fall.
- Caught or Compressed by Machinery.
According to recent studies, 80-90 percent of serious injuries are caused by human error.
What are the most common injuries for OSHA? ›- Slip and fall.
- Struck by moving object.
- Struck against stationary objects.
- Overexertion.
- Repetitive motion injuries.
- Electrocution.
- Entanglement.
- Motor vehicle accidents.
Approximately 20% of workplace fall injuries involve ladders, according to NIOSH National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
What are the 3 main work accidents? ›
1, Slips, trips, and falls
The National Safety Council (NSC) says that the top three leading causes of work-related injuries are overexertion, bodily reaction and slips, trips, and falls. These account for a whopping 84 per cent of all nonfatal injuries at work, says the NSC.
- Slips, Trips or Falls on same level. ...
- Handling, lifting or carrying. ...
- Being struck by or caught in moving machinery. ...
- Acts of Violence. ...
- Falls from a height.
- Slips and Falls. Slips and falls are a large liability to a company. ...
- Strains. One of the most common workplace injuries is employees straining their back or neck. ...
- Repetitive Use Injuries. ...
- Cuts. ...
- Collisions and Crashes.
Transportation Incidents Account for 40% of All Workplace Fatalities in the U.S.
What is the number 2 cause of most work related injuries? ›The next two most prevalent causes of injury and illness involving days away from work are overexertion and bodily reaction, and slips, trips and falls. These top three causes account for more than 75% of all nonfatal injuries and illnesses involving days away from work. Exposure to oxygen deficiency, n.e.c.
What are the 3 types of injury? ›Did you know that most athletic injuries can be boiled down into three main categories? Acute, Overuse, and Chronic.
What workplace has the most injuries? ›At the top of the list with regard to workplace injuries are the agriculture, forestry and commercial fishing industries. An average of 4.1% of workers experience non-fatal workplace injuries every year, which is significantly more than most other professions.
What are the 7 common injuries? ›- Knee Injury. About 55% of sports injuries occur in the knee. ...
- ACL Tear. Your anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is responsible for connecting your thigh to your shinbone at your knee. ...
- Tennis or Golf Elbow. ...
- Shin Splints. ...
- Groin Pull. ...
- Sciatica. ...
- Hamstring Strain.
- Broken bones.
- Concussion.
- Dislocated shoulder.
- Fractures.
- Knee injuries, such as ACL and meniscus tears.
- Muscle sprains and strains.
- Rotator cuff tears.
- Ankle Sprain & Other Sprains. Sprains are a risk during any type of sport. ...
- Knee Injuries. ...
- Muscle Strains. ...
- Shoulder Injuries. ...
- Shin Splints. ...
- Fractures.
What are the 9 common workplace hazard? ›
Common hazards include slipping and falling, communicable diseases, transportation accidents, toxic exposure, workplace violence, ergonomic injuries, and hearing loss.
What is the 2nd most common workplace injury? ›Two of the most common workplace injury types are musculoskeletal disorders and slip, trips, and falls.
What are the 5 types of injuries? ›- Soft Tissue Injuries. Soft tissue injuries are some of the most common types of injuries. ...
- Broken Bones. Our bones support our bodies and help us move. ...
- Traumatic Brain Injuries. ...
- Spinal Cord Injuries. ...
- Psychological Injuries.
The top four causes of construction fatalities are: Falls, Struck-By, Caught-In/Between and Electrocutions. Wear and use personal fall arrest equipment.
What is the most common injury in the United States? ›At home: Falls are the most common injury
Falls are not only the No. 1 cause of home injuries, they are the top cause of home deaths in the U.S., according to the Home Safety Council as reported by WebMD. The two groups who fall most are children under age 5 and adults over age 70.
Type | Number of Violations |
---|---|
1. Fall Protection (General) | 5,260 |
2. Hazard Communication | 2,424 |
3. Respiratory Protection | 2,185 |
4. Ladders | 2,143 |
You can calculate your TCIR or TRIR by using the following formula: (Number of OSHA Recordable injuries and illnesses X 200,000) / Employee total hours worked = Total Case Incident Rate.
What are the top 5 OSHA violations? ›- Eye and Face Protection, construction (29 CFR 1926.102) [related safety resources]
- Powered Industrial Trucks, general industry (29 CFR 1910.178) [related safety resources]
- Machinery and Machine Guarding, general industry (29 CFR 1910.212) [related safety resources]
The top three leading causes of preventable injury-related death – poisoning, motor vehicle, and falls – account for over 86% of all preventable deaths. No other preventable cause of death—including suffocation, drowning, fire and burns, and natural or environmental disasters—accounts for more than 5% of the total.
What type of injury accounts for more than 25% of all work related injuries? ›Contact with objects or equipment
About 25% of workplace injuries fall into this category. Most frequently, younger people, from 16 to 24 years old, incur injury as a result of contact with objects or equipment, and the injury is most often a cut, laceration, or puncture wound.
How many types of injuries are there in OSHA standards? ›
The OSHA 300 Log requires employers to check one of 6 boxes to categorize the injury/illness: (1) injury (2) skin disorder (3) respiratory condition (4) poisoning (5) hearing loss (6) all other illnesses.
What are the 4 classifications of injuries? ›The main types are primary, secondary, direct, indirect and chronic injury.
What is one third of all workplace injuries? ›Manual handling causes over a third of all workplace injuries, including musculoskeletal disorders (injuries to arms, legs and joints, and repetitive strain injuries).
What are the 3 most common injuries? ›- Strains. Strains are by far the most common of all sports-related injuries simply because we use so many muscles and tendons when we exercise or play. ...
- Sprains. ...
- Knee injuries. ...
- Fractures. ...
- Tennis elbow. ...
- Plantar fasciitis/shin splints. ...
- Back injuries/back pain. ...
- Concussion.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. This is the case in the U.S. and worldwide. More than half of all people who die due to heart disease are men. Medical professionals use the term heart disease to describe several conditions.
What is the most common non fatal injury in the workplace? ›Sprains, tears, and strains (approximately 35 incidents per 10,000 full-time workers) Pain and soreness (approximately 18 incidents per 10,000 full-time workers)
What occupation has the highest death rate? ›Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting– experienced the highest death rate per 100,000 workers. Transportation and warehousing– experienced the highest injury and illness rate involving days away from work per 10,000 workers.
What are the 10 examples of intentional injuries? ›- Intimate Partner/Domestic Violence.
- Sexual Assault/Rape.
- Suicide.
- Teen Dating Violence.
- Youth Violence.
Unsafe acts and unsafe conditions are almost always the result of underlying failures. e.g. Lack of proper information or training, unsafe systems of work, poorly maintained or unsuitable equipment, poor planning, unclear responsibilities, poor supervision.
What is the unsafe act? ›An unsafe act is when an individual who has both knowledge and control of an existing unsafe condition or action, but choses to perform the action or ignore the condition. Workers generally perform unsafe acts in an effort to save time and/or effort.
What are the 6 most hazardous workplace issues? ›
- 1) Safety hazards. ...
- 2) Biological hazards. ...
- 3) Physical hazards. ...
- 4) Ergonomic hazards. ...
- 5) Chemical hazards. ...
- 6) Workload hazards.
There are 8 common workplace hazards that can kill or have the potential to result in a serious injury. They include working at heights, suspended loads, electricity, isolating equipment, hazardous materials, physical separation and barricading, fire and emergencies, and confined spaces.
What are 5 minor injuries? ›- Animal bites.
- Ankle pain.
- Ankle sprains.
- Back pain - when you see the doctor.
- Broken bone.
- Broken or knocked out tooth.
- Bruise.
- Burns.
Common injuries include bruises, sprains, strains, joint injuries and nose bleeds. It is important to see a doctor, as leaving an injury untreated can have far more severe.
What are the two 2 types of injury? ›Acute injuries, which happen suddenly. Chronic injuries, which are usually related to overuse and develop gradually over time.
What are the top 5 workplace injuries? ›- Slips, trips and falls. ...
- Muscle strains. ...
- Being hit by falling objects. ...
- Repetitive strain injury. ...
- Crashes and collisions. ...
- Cuts and lacerations. ...
- Inhaling toxic fumes. ...
- Exposure to loud noise.
1. Fall Protection. Lack of fall protection remains the top OSHA-reported violation, especially in the construction industry. Violations ranged from improper cleanup of spills to not using railings for guarding holes in floors where workers may accidentally walk.