Washington, DC – The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that private industry employers reported 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2022, up 7.5 percent from 2021.
This increase is driven by the rise in both injuries, up 4.5 percent to 2.3 million cases, and illnesses up 26.1 percent to 460,700 cases. The increase in illnesses is driven by the rise in respiratory illness cases, up 35.4 percent to 365,000 cases in 2022. This comes after a decrease in respiratory illnesses in 2021 compared to 2020. These estimates are from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and illnesses (SOII).
Over the 2-year 2021-2022 period, there were 2.2 million cases involving days away from work (DAFW), representing 66.5 percent of the total cases involving days away from work, job restriction, or transfer (DART). These cases occurred at an annualized incidence rate of 112.9 cases per 10,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers and required a median of 10 days away from work. Over the same period, there were 1.1 million cases involving days of job transfer or restriction (DJTR), which accounted for 33.5 percent of total DART cases, and occurred at an annualized rate of 56.9 cases per 10,000 FTE workers. The median days of job transfer or restriction was 15 days over 2021-2022.
Expansion of Case and Demographic Data in the SOII
Nationwide all-industry biennial estimates for DAFW and DJTR by detailed case characteristics and worker demographics are published for the first time in this release and will now be published every 2 years. This expansion provides a more complete picture of how workplace injuries and illnesses are managed. Estimates for detailed industry by case type will continue to be published annually.
Annual Rates, 2022
The total recordable cases (TRC) incidence rate in private industry in 2022 was 2.7 cases per 100 FTE workers.
In 2022, the rate of injury cases was 2.3 cases per 100 FTE workers, unchanged from 2021.
The illness rate increased in 2022, with private industry employers reporting a rate of 45.2 cases per 10,000 FTE workers compared to 37.7 cases in 2021. The increase was driven by a rise in the respiratory illness rate, which rose from 27.8 cases per 10,000 FTE workers in 2021 to 35.8 cases in 2022.
Biennial Case Characteristics and Worker Demographics, 2021-2022
Occupation
Over 2021-2022, 78.6 percent (223,680) of all DART cases among healthcare practitioners and technical occupations resulted in at least one day away from work, while the remaining 21.4 percent (61,020) resulted in one or more days of job transfer or restriction. Among production occupations, 53.8 percent (223,840 cases) of all DART cases resulted in one or more days away from work, while the remaining 46.2 percent (192,480 cases) required one or more days of job transfer or restriction.
Transportation and material moving occupations experienced the highest number of DART cases among major occupation groups with 835,040 total injuries and illnesses over the 2021-2022 period. These cases occurred at an annualized incidence rate of 410.0 cases per 10,000 FTE. Among these total DART cases, 503,610 cases (60.3 percent) required at least one day away from work, and 331,430 cases (39.7 percent) resulted in one or more days of job transfer or restriction.
Event or Exposure
Over 2021-2022, overexertion and bodily reaction had the most DART cases at 1,001,440, followed by contact with objects and equipment with 780,690 cases. Notably, 96.3 percent of the total exposure to harmful substances or environments cases (634,080 of the 658,240 total DART cases) involved at least one day away from work.
Of the total DART cases due to overexertion and bodily reaction, 521,350 cases (52.1 percent) were DAFW cases, which occurred at an incidence rate of 26.2 cases per 10,000 FTE workers and required a median of 14 days away from work. The remaining 480,090 (47.9 percent) were DJTR cases, which occurred at an annualized incidence rate of 24.1 cases per 10,000 FTE workers and required a median of 20 days of job transfer or restriction.
Occupation by event or exposure
Occupation groups can also be viewed by the event that caused the nonfatal injury or illness and case type. Among transportation and material moving occupations in 2021-2022, most DART cases (329,150) were due to overexertion and bodily reaction. Half of these cases (165,690) resulted in one or more days away from work, with a median of 21 days away. The other half (163,460 cases) involved at least one day of job transfer or restriction, with a median of 20 days.
In 2021-2022, most DART cases for healthcare practitioners and technical occupations were due to exposure to harmful substances or environments — the event or exposure category that includes cases of COVID-19. This exposure made up over half of DAFW cases (127,530) for these workers, which occurred at an annualized incidence rate of 105.6 cases per 10,000 FTE workers.
Age group
In 2021-2022, there were 759,560 cases involving DART to persons aged 25 to 34. Of these, 493,180 cases (64.9 percent) were DAFW cases, which occurred at an annualized incidence rate of 106.8 cases per 10,000 FTE workers and required a median of 8 days away from work. The remaining 266,380 cases (35.1 percent) were DJTR cases, which occurred at an annualized incidence rate of 57.2 cases per 10,000 FTE workers and required a median of 14 days of job transfer or restriction.
Additional Highlights
- The number of respiratory illnesses in the private health care and social assistance sector increased from 145,300 in 2021 to 199,700 cases in 2022, an increase of 37.5 percent.
- In 2022, the rate of respiratory illnesses in grocery stores was 190.4 cases per 10,000 FTE workers, an increase from 66.8 in 2021.
- Over the 2021-2022 period, there were 560,750 total DAFW cases in private industry due to other diseases due to viruses, not elsewhere classified, the code used to classify cases of COVID-19. These cases occurred at an annualized rate of 28.2 cases per 10,000 FTE workers and required a median of 10 days away from work. Additionally, over half of these cases (308,500 cases) occurred in the health care and social assistance industry sector.
- Over the 2021-2022 period, there were 502,380 workplace musculoskeletal disorders that resulted in at least one day away from work. These cases occurred at an annualized incidence rate of 25.3 musculoskeletal disorders per 10,000 FTE workers.
The complete results release is available here: BLS: Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses – 2021-2022 (PDF)
Source: BLS