Private U.S. employers reported 2.6 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2023, down 8.4% from 2022, according to recently released data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The agency says the decrease was driven by a 56.6% drop in illnesses to 200,100 cases in 2023, the lowest number since 2019. In 2023, the incidence rate of total recordable illnesses and injury cases in private industry for full-time workers was 2.4 cases per 100, down from 2.7 in 2022. This was the lowest rate since 2003.
Injuries occurred at a rate of 2.2 cases per 100 FTE workers, down from 2.3 in 2022. The incidence rate of illnesses decreased in 2023 to 19.0 cases per 10,000 full-time equivalent workers, from 45.2 in 2022. Respiratory illnesses occurred at a rate of 9.5 cases per 10,000 FTE workers in 2023, down from 35.8 in 2022, a 73% decrease.
Illnesses and Injuries by Sector
In 2023, total recordable injuries and illness cases (TRC) decreased in private industry healthcare and social assistance to 562,500 cases, down from 665,300 in 2022. The TRC incidence rate in healthcare 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.
Injuries
The private industry injury rate was down in 2023, but the total injury cases (2,368,900) were essentially unchanged from 2022. Injuries in healthcare 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.
Injuries in food and beverage stores increased 6.5% to 78,200 cases in 2023, up from 73,500 in 2022. Illnesses in this industry fell 78.7% 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.
Further information about the 2023 Annual Employer-Related Workplace Injuries and Illnesses can be found here.
