Having a positive experience with your small business insurance comes down to how you manage risk at the workplace. How effective are you at managing the risks your employees face? We’ve read through public and private sector reports to find the most insightful workplace injury statistics to help improve your understanding of workplace risks and potential solutions for promoting a safe work environment.
1. There were 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries & illnesses in 2022
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which is the source for most of the information in this article, there were 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2022. This figure is an increase of 7.5% from 2021. These incidents took place at a rate of 112.9 cases per 10,000 full-time equivalent workers.
When we last published this piece, there were 2.7 million nonfatal workplace injuries, which represented a decrease of 5.7% since 2020. Unfortunately, injuries have increased over the last two years.
However, it should be noted that during this time, there has been a rise in employers moving from a remote model to a hybrid or in-person work model. This will increase the chances of workplace injuries simply because the number of in-office employees increases.
2. Workplace fatal injuries increased from 2021 to 2022 by 5%
This increase of 5% brought the total workplace fatalities in 2022 to 4,695. In its report on the findings, the National Safety Council (NSC) repeatedly uses the word “preventable” instead of the word “accident.” The point is to remind the readers and stakeholders that steps can be taken to reduce the risk of these deaths.
When it comes to managing risk at the workplace, it is important to remember that many illnesses, injuries, and even fatalities simply do not have to happen. They don’t have to happen.
3. Employee hours increased by 3.4% in 2022
While many employees are returning to the office either full-time or in a hybrid model, the total number of hours worked is also on the rise. In 2022, the number of hours worked increased by 3.4%, and the workforce also grew by 4% from 2021 to 2022.
4. There were 791 homicides in the workplace
Another type of employee fatality that isn’t included in the preventable death data is homicide. In 2022 alone, there were 791 homicides and suicides in the workplace.
While not all crime is preventable, workplace bullying and toxic work environments are real problems. You can take steps to ensure your workplace is safe and to reduce stress for your employees. Some of the steps to reduce stress are promoting open communication and implementing employee wellness programs.
5. In 2023, 378 police officers were shot
The 791 homicides exclude the 378 law enforcement officers who were shot in 2023. When you examine the data from five years ago to 2018, this represents an increase of 60%. First responders operate in a naturally risky area, but over the past few years, it has become more dangerous and, for employers and providers, costlier to employ first responders.
6. Texas has the most workplace fatalities, with 578
The state with the highest number of workplace fatalities is Texas, with California in second at 504 workplace deaths. Rhode Island has the fewest, with seven. This makes sense given that both Texas and California have the highest populations in the United States.
7. Maine has the highest incident rate of workplace injuries
Perhaps surprisingly, given its population size, Maine had the highest incident rate of 5 per 100 full-time workers. Texas has only 1.9 total recordable cases of illness or injury at work per 100 workers. This low rate is likely, at least in part, the result of Texas not requiring workers’ compensation insurance.
8. Construction is a very dangerous industry
There were 1,018 workplace fatalities in construction. This makes it the most dangerous industry. Of those, 28.4% were due to falls. After construction, the industry with the most fatalities was transportation and warehousing, with 964 fatal injuries. There is a large drop-off after those two when you move into professional and business services with 525.
While construction had the most workplace deaths, agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting had the highest death rate per 100,000 workers at 758.
9. Government jobs have the highest number of workplace injuries
While construction may lead the way in preventable deaths, it is seventh in injuries with 270,000. The leading industry for workplace injuries is the government sector, which has 960,000 workers. The industry with the second highest rate is retail and trade, with 530,000.
The government is usually the largest or one of the largest employers in each state, so statistically, it makes sense that the highest number of workplace injuries occur in the government sector.
10. First-year workers account for nearly half of workplace injuries
In many sectors, first-year worker injuries are nearly 50% of the total worker comp claims. For example, in the restaurant industry, first-year workers account for 53% of the total claims and 47% of the total claim costs for first-year workplace injuries. Interestingly, construction is second with 40%, but the claims are costlier, making up 51% of the cost. Learn more in Traveler’s report on workers’ comp claims.
11. The age group 35–49 has the highest percentage of workplace injuries
At 31%, workers between the ages of 35 and 49 had the highest percentage of workplace injuries. This is significant because the cost-per-claim average increases with age. The workforce is getting older, with employees 65 or older projected to account for 60% of the labor force over the next several years. This means that more employees are going to fall into this demographic, which is the most susceptible to workplace injuries.
12. Fatal workplace violence is almost double against women than men
When it comes to fatal workplace injuries by gender, the distribution is fairly even between men and women. However, fatal violence is almost double between women and men (18% to 9%). The only category of fatal workplace injuries where men have a higher percentage is coming into contact with an object. There, about 14% of men die from contact with an object compared with 4% of women.
13. Overexertion & bodily injury is the most common workplace injury
When it comes to the different types of injuries you can suffer at work, overexertion and bodily reaction had the most cases in 2022. This was followed by contact with objects and equipment. These two events translated into 1,001,440 cases and 780,690 cases. Overexertion, contact with an object, and falls accounted for 75% of nonfatal injuries and illnesses in 2022.
If you’re wondering what overexertion and bodily injury are, they include activities like lifting, pushing, carrying, and other repetitive motions. These non-impact activities are part of many people’s jobs, which is why they account for so many injuries. The area in which the person is most injured is the back.
14. Slips, falls & trips are the leading causes of injuries in construction
A common injury for general liability and workers’ compensation claims are slips, falls, and trips. This includes falling or even jumping to a different level. Perhaps not surprisingly, according to the NSC, the construction industry accounts for almost half of all injuries in this category, with 47.4%. The most frequent injury type in this category are sprains, strains, and tears.
15. 4 out of 10 most cited violations by the Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA) relate to falling & fall protection
The cost of workplace injuries is greater than the medical cost to the employee, the loss of production, and the downtime of the injured employee. A workplace injury cost can come in the form of a safety violation from OSHA. In fact, four out of 10 of the most cited violations by OSHA all relate to falling on the job and fall protection.
16. The top causes of workplace injuries for small businesses are slips, trips & falls
When sorting through the data on workplace injuries, some insights for small businesses come to light. One thing to note is that while overexertion may be the leading injury, the top workplace injury for small businesses is slip, trip, and fall at 30%.
A workplace injury can result in significant time away from work. For a small business with only a few employees, this can create an obstacle to success. According to Traveler’s analysis of its workers’ compensation data, for small businesses, the average amount of time lost from work is 79 days.
17. Strains and sprains are the most common workplace injuries for small businesses
In Travelers research—whether it was in construction, manufacturing, or retail—sprains and strains were the most common type of injury suffered by an employee. Specifically for small businesses, 29% of all injuries are strains and sprains.
18. COVID-19 continues to be the leading cause of days away from work
Despite being several years removed from the global COVID-19 pandemic, it continues to have a lasting impression on the workplace. When it comes to what led to days away from work, the number one cause continues to be exposure to harmful substances or environments.
This category includes COVID-19 cases, which have been the leading cause since the pandemic. In 2022, there were 6,348,080 cases. The average amount of time away was 13 days. This is three days more than the overall days away from work, which is 10 days.
19. $1,040 is the cost per worker for a workplace injury
The NSC provides estimates for the total economic costs of work-related deaths and injuries. The costs reflect the impact on society and are not necessarily representative of the cost to insurance companies or the employer. With that in mind, according to the NSC, the average cost per injury per employee is $1,040, and the average cost for a workplace fatal injury is $1,390,000.
20. The average cost of a workers’ compensation claim is $41,757
The average of $41,757 is just that: an average. Some workers’ comp claims are costlier, like motor vehicle crashes, averaging $89,152. Claims for burns average $52,161. Worker compensation claims involving injuries from falls or slips averaged $49,971. Finally, being compressed or caught in some sort of equipment has an average injury cost of $47,076. The rest are all below average in cost.
21. The most expensive workplace injury claim has an average cost of $126,033
Not all injuries are equal, and some are costlier. When it comes to the most costly type of claim by the nature of the injury, amputation is the most expensive, with an average of $126,033. The next highest cost is trauma at $63,044.
Looking at the parts of the body by cost, the head and central nervous system had the most expensive average at $94,285 per claim. Some other expensive body part claims are the neck at $65,659 and the leg at $60,901.
22. 8.3% increase in workers’ comp costs in Illinois
Some states have laws requiring an automatic increase in payouts for services that can be triggered by certain conditions. In Illinois, there is an automatic increase for inflation adjustment to the fee schedule.
A nearly 10% increase in the fee schedule, for every workers’ comp payment, represents a large increase for an insurance company. Often, policyholders will shop around to try to find the best rate for insurance. And while comparing business insurance quotes is an effective way to save money, there are just some costs that are unavoidable.
23. Workers’ compensation costs total $1 billion a week
After analyzing multiple sources, including the BLS and the National Academy of Social Insurance, Liberty Mutual determined that the total cost of workers’ compensation in 2022 was $49.8 billion, or just under $1 billion a week. Of that amount, 21.76%, or $12.63 billion, was for claims for overexertion and bodily injury. 17.67%, or $10 billion, was for falls, slips, and trips worker comp claims.
24. $437,000 fine from the Department of Labor against one company
When we discuss preventable injuries and deaths at the workplace, it should be understood that decisions made by management are central to whether a workplace is safe or not. The Department of Labor will investigate businesses and follow up on complaints, and if they conclude that the workplace is not safe, businesses can face fines. A transportation company in New Jersey is facing $437,860 in federal penalties because OSHA investigated the workplace and found it was not safe.
In compiling these work injury statistics, we reviewed sources that are in the nonprofit, government, or commercial insurance space. Primarily, our attention was given to the BLS, NSC, and OSHA. After sorting through that information, using my years of experience in small business insurance—along with running a small nonprofit—I assembled the statistics I felt would be the most useful for our audience.
Note that much of the data on workplace injury statistics run a year or two behind. This is because the BLS is the definitive source for all things workplace injury-related. Recently, they moved to a biennial publication. In 2023, they published the reports for 2021 and 2022.
Frequently Asked Questions About Workplace Injuries
Workers’ compensation insurance is a commercial policy that protects employers and employees. It helps employees if they are injured or ill due to their job by paying for medical expenses and wage replacement. It can also provide disability and even death benefits.
It helps employers by providing them with liability. Workers’ comp is required in every state except Texas and South Dakota. But the threshold for when it is required differs by state and, within each state, sometimes, by industry.
No. While general liability does cover bodily injury and is commonly called “slip and fall” coverage, it is not for your employees. General liability helps third parties, like customers, who were injured or had property damaged because of the negligence of your business.
Bottom Line
An injury, or even worse, a fatality at work, can take a heavy toll on the company and its employees. Having a safe work environment is a key decision in reducing the chance that an employee will become a workplace injury statistic. Through diligent attention to the workplace and the trends in injury statistics, small business owners can stay on top of their work environment and help their employees stay healthy.
