Worker Injuries and Illnesses by Sex

Detailed nonfatal data starting in 2023-2024

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has transitioned from an annual to a biennial (every two years) publication schedule.  The final publication of a single year of cases involving days away from work estimates was for reference year 2020. The most recent BLS detailed data cover 2023 and 2024 for Days Away from Work (DAFW), Days of Job Transfer or Restriction (DJTR), and Days Away from Work, Job Restriction, or Transfer (DART) cases.

New event categories starting in 2023

The BLS has updated the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System starting with the 2023 data year. The update includes changes to how injury and illness events are classified. This change is considered a data break, therefore, comparing counts to previous years is often unavailable and, when available, should be done with caution. Currently, 2024 fatality data are using the new classification categories, while the most recent nonfatal 2023-2024 data use the previous classification categories.

The proportion of male and female injuries, illnesses, and fatalities in the workplace is far different than the proportion of workers. The proportion of male and female workers has changed little since 2011. Males consistently represent about 53% of employed workers each year.

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The proportion of male and female fatal occupational injuries has also remained relatively stable. Since 2011, males have accounted for between 91.4% to 93.0% of the fatal occupational injuries each year.

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In recent years, the proportion of male and female nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work (DAFW) has been shifting. Prior to 2020, female workers constantly experienced 38% to 39% of the DAFW cases. In 2020, female workers experienced 50% and in 2023-2024 over 41% of the DAFW cases. The increase in DAFW cases experienced by female workers was driven by COVID-19 illnesses. In 2020, COVID-19 (Other diseases due to viruses, n.e.c) accounted for 47.2% of all DAFW cases among female workers compared to 18.7% among male workers.

The data on nonfatal cases cover occupational injuries and illnesses and come from the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) for 2011-2022. From 2011 through 2020, annual estimates are available for the number of DAFW cases (with or without days of restricted work activity). Starting in 2021, biennial estimates are available for DAFW, DJTR and DART cases. This page highlights both DAFW and DART estimates. The latest estimate period available reflects cases occurring in 2023 and 2024. Because DAFW data transitioned from annual reporting to biennial reporting in 2021, care should be used when comparing trends. The private sector nonfatal case data do not cover the self-employed, unpaid family workers, or federal, state or local government employees.

The dashboard provided below compares the proportion of DAFW and DART cases by age group, race, injury event, industry, part of body impacted, and nature of injury or illness for both males and females.  For example, in 2023-2024, 16.5% of DAFW cases among female workers resulted from exposure to harmful substances or environments, while this event type only accounted for 6.6% of DAFW cases among male workers. Provided below is a sample of other sizable difference between male and female workers regarding DAFW cases in 2023-2024:

Injury and Illness Events:

  • Contact with object or equipment accounted for 31.7% of cases among male workers vs. 21.1% among female workers
  • Overexertion and bodily reaction accounted for 28.9% of cases among male workers vs. 23.9% among female workers
  • Fall, slips, trips accounted for 29.4% of cases among female workers vs. 24.0% among male workers

Industry:

  • Male workers: 68.9% of cases occurring in service industries and 31.1% in goods producing industries
  • Female workers: 91.2% of cases occurring in service industries and 8.8% in goods producing industries

Part of body:

  • Body systems accounted for 14.5% of cases among female workers vs. 4.1% among male workers
  • Upper extremities accounted for 31.9% of cases among male workers vs. 26.1% among female workers

Nature of injury or illness:

  • Cuts, lacerations, punctures accounted for 12.2% of cases among male workers vs. 6.5% among female workers

Use the interactive dashboard to explore other trends for both DAFW and DART cases.

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How to Use Injury Facts® Charts and Tables

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor,  from https://www.bls.gov/iif/