Private industry employers reported 2.6 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2023, down 8.4 % from 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on November 8.
“Today’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that the rate of recordable workplace injuries and illnesses in 2023 fell to its lowest level since 2003,” said Department of Labor’s Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Douglas Parker, in a statement.
This decrease was driven by a 56.6% drop in illnesses to 200,100 cases in 2023, the lowest number since 2019. This was due to a 72.6% decrease in respiratory illness cases, down to 100,200 cases in 2023.
In 2023, the incidence rate of total recordable cases (TRC) in private industry was 2.4 cases per 100 fulltime equivalent (FTE) workers, down from 2.7 in 2022. This was the lowest TRC rate for this data series going back to 2003. Injuries occurred at a rate of 2.2 cases per 100 FTE workers, down from 2.3 in 2022.
The incidence rate of illnesses decreased in 2023 to 19.0 cases per 10,000 FTE workers, from 45.2 in 2022. Respiratory illnesses occurred at a rate of 9.5 cases per 10,000 FTE workers in 2023, down from 35.8 in 2022.
There were 946,500 nonfatal injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (DAFW) in 2023, 20.1 percent lower than in 2022. These represented 62.0 percent of cases involving days away from work, job restriction, or transfer (DART). DAFW cases occurred at a rate of 0.9 cases per 100 FTE workers, down from 1.2 in 2022. In 2023, there were 581,000 cases involving days of job transfer or restriction (DJTR), which accounted for 38% of total DART cases, and occurred at a rate of 0.6 cases per 100 FTE workers.
Total injuries and illnesses by industry sector in 2023, total recordable injuries and illnesses decreased in private industry health care and social assistance to 562,500 cases, down from 665,300 in 2022. The TRC incidence rate in health care and social assistance was 3.6 cases per 100 FTE workers, down from 4.5 cases in 2022.
Cases in manufacturing also declined in 2023 to 355,800, down from 396,800 cases in 2022, and cases in retail trade fell by 68,800 from 2022 to 353,900 in 2023. The TRC incidence rates for these industry sectors were 2.8 and 3.1 cases per 100 FTE workers in 2023, respectively, both down from 2022.
The private industry transportation and warehousing and the wholesale trade sectors also had a decrease of total cases and incidence rates in 2023. No private industry sectors experienced increases in total cases or incidence rates in 2023.
“We are encouraged by these significant improvements in injury and illness rates in 2023. Looking at the BLS report and our own recent analysis showing fewer worker deaths in OSHA’s purview, our formula of strong enforcement combined with collaboration between government, labor and the private sector to make workplace safety and health as a core value is making a difference in the lives of America’s workers.
However, Parker points out that “despite the progress reported today, OSHA’s work is far from complete. Too many workers are injured or sickened every day in the United States, mostly from preventable incidents. We all must continue our commitment to making sure that every worker is able to go home healthy and whole."