Fatal workplace injuries declined 3.7% in 2023, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced December 19 with the release of its Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).
There were 5,283 fatal work injuries recorded in the United States last year. The fatal work injury rate was 3.5 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers—down from 3.7 in 2022.
A worker died every 99 minutes from a work-related injury in 2023 compared with 96 minutes in 2022, according to the BLS.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) acknowledged the 99-minute figure, asserting that more work needs to be done to reduce worker injuries and fatalities.
“Every worker’s death is a profound tragedy that leaves a lasting void for families, friends, co-workers, and communities. We can and we must do better,” Doug Parker, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, said in an OSHA statement.
“Today’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is more positive news for worker safety and health,” he continued. “In November, the bureau reported a 20-year low in the rate of non-fatal worker injuries and illnesses in 2023, and we are further encouraged by the news that the number and rate of fatal worker injuries also dropped in 2023.”
The BLS’s key findings in the CFOI data included the following:
- Transportation incidents were the most frequent type of fatal event, accounting for 36.8% (1,942) of all occupational fatalities.
- Fatalities due to violent acts totaled 740 in 2023. Homicides (458) accounted for 61.9% of violent acts and 8.7% of all work-related fatalities.
- Opioids were the primary source of 162 fatalities and a contributor to an additional 144 fatalities involving multiple drugs.
- The fatal injury count and rate for Black or African-American workers decreased from 2022 to 2023. The fatality count dropped 10.2% from 734 in 2022 to 659 in 2023, and the rate dropped from 4.2 to 3.6 cases per 100,000 FTE workers.
- The fatal injury rate for Hispanic or Latino workers decreased from 2022 to 2023—down from 4.6 to 4.4 cases per 100,000 FTE workers.
Parker acknowledged the decline in fatalities among Black workers and the lower rate for Latino workers.
“Addressing high rates among these populations and recognizing the disproportionate impact of work hazards on workers of color will enable more workers to end their shifts safely.”
The industry sector with the highest number of Black or African-American worker fatalities was transportation and warehousing (200). There were 410 Latino worker fatalities in construction. Construction fatalities accounted for 37.5% (315) of the 839 foreign-born Hispanic or Latino worker deaths in 2023. Foreign-born Latino workers made up 67.1% of all Hispanic or Latino worker fatalities last year (1,250).
Women accounted for 8.5% (447) of all fatalities. However, they accounted for 18.3% (84) of homicides in 2023. Women had the highest number of fatalities in private sector health care and social assistance (63), followed by the retail trade sector (59).
Older workers—those 55 to 64 years old—continued to have the highest number of fatalities in 2023 at 1,089 (20.6% of all fatalities). The highest cause of fatalities for the age group was transportation incidents (401), followed by falls, slips, and trips (226).