The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has reported a significant decrease in the number of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2023. According to the BLS, private industry employers reported 2.6 million cases, which is an 8.4% decrease from the previous year. This marks the lowest number of reported cases since 2019.

The decline in reported cases was largely driven by a 56.6% decrease in reported illnesses, which fell to 200,100 cases in 2023. The BLS attributes this decrease to a 72.6% drop in respiratory illness cases, which fell to 100,200 in 2023.

In addition to the overall decrease in reported cases, the BLS also reported a decline in the incidence rate of total recordable cases (TRC) in private industry. The TRC rate fell to 2.4 cases per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers in 2023, down from 2.7 in 2022. This is the lowest TRC rate since the BLS began tracking this data in 2003.

The BLS also reported a decrease in the number of nonfatal injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (DAFW). In 2023, there were 946,500 DAFW cases, which is a 20.1% decrease from the previous year. These cases accounted for 62.0% of all cases involving days away from work, job restriction, or transfer (DART).

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.

Respiratory illnesses by industry sector

The respiratory illness incidence rate in the private industry health care and social assistance sector decreased to 44.1 cases per 10,000 FTE workers in 2023, down from 134.8 in 2022.

Injuries by industry sector

The private industry injury rate was down in 2023, but the total injury cases (2,368,900) were essentially unchanged from 2022. Injuries in health care and social assistance increased by 27,800 cases to 471,600 in 2023. The accommodation and food services; arts, entertainment, and recreation; and utilities sectors also had increases in injuries in 2023. Injuries decreased in two sectors in 2023. Injury cases in manufacturing decreased 21,400 to 326,400 cases in 2023, and injuries in wholesale trade fell 11,900 to 127,000 cases.

Highlights

• Injuries in food and beverage stores increased 6.5 percent to 78,200 cases in 2023, up from 73,500 in 2022. Illnesses in this industry fell 78.7 percent to 7,900 cases, down from 37,100 in 2022.
• The injury rate in general freight trucking decreased to 2.9 cases per 100 FTE workers in 2023, down from 3.2 in 2022.
• Food manufacturing had 61,400 total injury and illness cases in 2023. These cases occurred at a rate of 3.6 cases per 100 FTE workers, down from 4.6 in 2022.
• Couriers and messengers had 77,000 total cases in 2023, making up 29.0 percent of the total cases in the transportation and warehousing sector (265,700).

OSHA statement

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Douglas Parker issued the following statement on the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2023 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses:

The “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. Private industry non-fatal injuries and illnesses decreased 8.4 percent from 2022.

“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.

“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.

“Safety and health is not a partisan issue, and we hope the strategies associated with these outcomes will continue.”

Additional Information

The report also only measures nonfatal injuries. The BLS will release data on industry fatalities in 2023 on December 19. 2024

Nonfatal occupational injury and illness estimates by industry and case type are available at www.bls.gov/web/osh.supp.toc.htm.

The SOII relies on OSHA recordkeeping requirements, which mandate employers record certain work-related injuries and illnesses on their OSHA 300 log, including the recording of cases of COVID-19 (see www.osha.gov/coronavirus/standards).