Workplace injuries happen every other day. Workers in all industries and occupations are exposed to various risks, from broken bones to back pain.
These risks leave millions of workers unable to work either short-term or long-term. According to the U.S Department of Labor, approximately 2.8 million non-fatal injuries and illnesses have occurred across all industries recently.
These statistics demonstrate just how common it is for workers to miss time work due to work-related injuries and illnesses.
So, how many workplace injuries occur each year? This post will analyze workplace injury statistics to determine how often these accidents are.
Keep reading to find out.
How Many Workplace Injuries Occur Each Year?
According to the National Safety Council, one worker suffers injuries every seven seconds in the U.S. That means 12,600 workers are injured daily, or roughly 4.6 million per year.
Overall, annual statistics show that:
- Approximately 3 million people across the world suffer work-related accidents every year.
- Up to 340 million workplace accidents occur annually, and 160 million workers become victims of work-related illnesses.
- Slips, trips, falls, overexertion, and contact with objects account for 84% of all non-fatal workplace injuries.
- Hazardous substances alone account for approximately 650,000 deaths per year.
- Industrial trucks or forklifts account for 96,7000 injuries every year.
- Explosions and fires are responsible for 3% of all workplace injuries.
- As of 2019, occupational hazards and injuries have decreased by 75% since 1972.
How Many Disabling Workplace Injuries Occur Each Year?
A disabling injury is a work-related injury that impairs body functions or prevents workers from carrying out their usual tasks. A worker who sustains a disabling permanent or partial injury is entitled to accommodations and compensation.
So, how many disabling workplace injuries occur each year?
- Falls are responsible for 9.6% of disabling injuries
- Being struck by an object or equipment accounts for 10.3% of disabling injuries.
- Overexertion accounts for 5% of all work injuries in the U.S and is the primary cause of disabling injuries in 2020.
- Musculoskeletal disorders affecting the back, spine, hips, knees, and shoulders account for 18.5% of short-term disability claims and 27.6% of long-term disability claims.
- The costs of disabling workplace injuries in the U.S in 2020 amounted to $52.93 billion.
- The cumulative number of injuries remains unchanged at 2.8 per 100 full-time workers, 8 in 2020.
How Many Workers Suffer Non-Fatal Workplace Injuries Each Year?
The U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics 2020 data shows the most common cause of non-fatal injuries in the workplace. The statistics show that the number of non-fatal workplace injuries has been reducing over the years.
Reports from OSHA show that worker deaths have dropped from 38% in 1970 to 13% in 2020. So, how many workers suffer non-fatal workplace injuries each year?
- There were approximately 3.2 million cases of non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses in the U.S in 2020.
- Per every 100 full-time workers in the private sector, 2.7 suffered non-fatal injuries and illnesses.
- Overexertion and bodily reactions accounted for 27 injury incidents per 10,000 full-time workers.
- Sprains, strains, and tears are the most common causes of non-fatal injuries, accounting for 266,530 cases in 2020.
- Slips, trips, and falls are the most common injuries, accounting for 33% of all cases.
- Non-fatal injuries and illnesses were more common in healthcare and social assistance sectors, affecting over 800,000 people in 2020.
- 27% of non-fatal workplace injuries leading to days off work resulted from slips, trips, and falls.
- More than 235,000 workers missed work due to injuries from contact with objects and equipment
How Many Fatal Workplace Injuries Occur Each Year?
Regrettably, death remains part of workplace injury statistics. Even the amended safety protocols and guidelines to eradicate preventable death tolls have not succeeded.
According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- 4,764 fatal work injuries occurred in the U.S in 2020: This represents a 10.7% decline from the Bureau’s 2019 report, which reported 5,333 deaths. Moreover, this happens to be the lowest yearly number since 2013.
- One worker died in the U.S every 111 minutes in 2020: This might look like a staggering number, but it’s lower than in the period before the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 was implemented.
- In 2020, the fatal workplace injury rate was 3.4 per 100,000 full-time workers: As stated, there has been a significant decline in workplace injury rates. These could reflect that there were fewer jobs and work hours in 2020 due to COVID-19. The previous BLS workplace injury stats showed that the death rate in 2019 was 3.5 full-time workers per 100,000.
- Workers aged 55 to 64 had higher fatalities: The BLS reported that 1,051 workers in this age group lost their lives to workplace injuries. Those aged 45 to 54 followed in numbers of fatalities, while those below 26 had the fewest deaths in 2020.
- Transportation incidents were the leading cause of death: According to BLS, motor vehicle accidents accounted for 1,778 worker deaths in 2020. But statistics also show that falls from higher elevations are a leading cause of fatal injuries.
How Much Do Workplace Injuries Cost U.S. Businesses Each Year?
Estimating the exact kind of impact that workplace injury has had on individual workers is challenging. However, the loss of working hours and wages are measurable indicators of the economic impact of workplace injuries.
Statistically, how much do workplace injuries cost U.S. businesses each year?
A recent analysis by the NSC estimates that workplace injuries cost the U.S economy up to 171 billion in 2019 (most recent data). This averages to about $1,100 for every injured employee and $1.2 million per employee fatality.
Liberty Mutual, a leading workers’ comp insurance carrier, estimates that employers collectively pay approximately a billion dollars per week to injured employees in workers’ comp claims.
The 2021 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index shows that U.S. employers spent more than $1.22 billion weekly on disabling injuries in 2019. The total cost for business owners was $58.6 billion annually, including medical expenses and lost wage payments.
Apart from this, business owners lose productivity due to workplace injuries. The NSC analysis showed that employers lost 105 million days of labor to workplace injuries and deaths in 2019.
Conclusion
It would not be absurd to think that eliminating workplace accidents is impossible. Many high-risk sectors like construction and transportation increase the probability of accidents, occasionally leading to severe injuries or death.
Still, workplace injury statistics reveal that the number of accidents has declined. We can attribute this to regulatory agencies like OSHA and the BLS and the improved compliance with work safety guidelines.
If all business owners strictly comply with these rules and guidelines, maybe we could further reduce work-related injuries.
