BLS: On-the-job deaths fell nearly 4% in 2023

Washington — A total of 5,283 workers died from on-the-job injuries in 2023 – a 3.7% decrease from 2022, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries data released Dec. 19 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows.

The overall rate of fatal workplace injuries also fell slightly, to 3.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers from 3.7 the previous year.

Transportation incidents remained the leading cause of fatal work-related injuries, contributing to 1,942 fatalities and accounting for 36.8% of the deaths. Slip, trip and fall events resulted in 885 deaths, and exposure to harmful substances and environments led to 820.

Also notable from BLS:

• The construction industry had the highest number of on-the-job fatalities at 1,075 – the highest total for the industry since 2011. Transportation and warehousing (930 deaths) and professional and business services (555) followed.
• Within construction, 64.4% of fatal falls to a lower level were from a height between 6 and 30 feet.
• A worker died every 99 minutes, compared with every 96 minutes in 2022.
• The fatality rates for Black/African American workers (3.6 per 100,000 FTE) and Hispanic/Latino workers (4.4) decreased from 4.2 and 4.6 the previous year, respectively.
• Workers ages 55-64 accounted for 20.6% of the fatal injuries.
• Opioids were the leading source of 162 deaths and contributed to 144 deaths linked to multiple drugs.

“I believe the Biden-Harris administration’s worker-centered approach of stronger enforcement combined with our numerous collaborations with employers and labor to embrace health and safety as core values are making a difference,” OSHA administrator Doug Parker said in a Dec. 20 statement.

In a separate statement, the National Safety Council said, “These data provided by BLS make it clear more education and resources, such as policies and training, are needed to keep people safe on the job. The National Safety Council encourages lawmakers to support and pass the bipartisan WORK to Save Lives Act (S. 2948, H.R. 5420), which removes barriers to get opioid overdose reversal medications in workplaces and serves as a crucial step toward preventing workplace fatalities from opioid overdoses.”

The data release is the second of two annual BLS reports. The first, released Nov. 8, analyzes nonfatal injuries and illnesses among workers in the private sector.