Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, INDUSTRY NEWS, TRENDS—Fatal work injuries decreased by 3.7 percent from 2022 to 2023, (Jan 2, 2025)

By Brandi O. Brown, J.D.

Meanwhile, non-fatal workplace injuries fell to a 20-year low in 2023.

According to a report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, based on data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, there were 5,283 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States in 2023, which represents a 3.7 percent decrease from 5,486 in 2022. The fatal work injury rate was 3.5 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, down from 3.7 in 2022.

Some of the findings regarding fatal work injuries for 2023 include:

• A worker died every 99 minutes from a work-related injury.

• Transportation incidents were the most frequent type of fatal event, accounting for 36.8 percent of all occupational fatalities.

• Fatalities due to violent acts totaled 740 in 2023. Homicides (458) accounted for 61.9 percent of violent acts and 8.7 percent of all work-related fatalities. Women accounted for 8.5 percent of all fatalities but accounted for 18.3 percent of homicides in 2023. Workers ages 25 to 34 had the highest number of fatalities due to violent acts (179), including 121 homicides and 58 suicides.

• Opioids were the primary source of 162 fatalities and a contributor in an additional 144 fatalities where multiple drugs were the source.

• The fatal injury count and rate for Black or African American workers decreased, dropping 10.2 percent from 2022. The rate dropped from 4.2 to 3.6 cases per 100,000 FTE workers.

• The fatal injury rate for Hispanic or Latino workers decreased from 2022 to 2023, down from 4.6 to 4.4 cases per 100,000 FTE workers.

• Workers ages 55 to 64 continued to have the highest number of fatalities in 2023 with 1,089 (20.6 percent of total fatalities). Transportation incidents were the highest cause of fatalities for this age group (401), followed by falls, slips, and trips (226).

• In private industry, construction had the most fatalities among all industry sectors in 2023 and was the highest for the sector going back to 2011. The transportation and warehousing sector had the second most fatalities. Approximately 30 percent of fatalities in the retail trade industry sector were homicides (94).

“[The] report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is more positive news for worker safety and health. In November, the bureau reported a 20-year low in the rate of non-fatal worker injuries and illnesses in 2023, and we are further encouraged by the news that the number and rate of fatal worker injuries also dropped in 2023,” said Doug Parker, U.S. Department of Labor’s Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health. “Despite these promising trends, there is more work to be done. In 2023, 5,283 workers lost their lives. That means a worker dies every 99 minutes. Every worker’s death is a profound tragedy that leaves a lasting void for families, friends, co-workers and communities. We can and we must do better.”

News: IndustryNewsTrends Safety AgencyNews Reports