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
BLS 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.
Injuries resulting from contact events is the third leading cause of work-related death, the second leading cause of DART cases, and the leading cause of DAFW cases. In 2024, 756 workers died and in 2023-2024, 860,050 DART cases (including 499,270 DAFW cases) were reported.
BLS 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. As part of this update, the previous contact with objects and equipment category was broadened to the contact incidents category. This change is considered a data break, therefore comparing counts to previous years should be done with caution.
The contact incidents category includes:
- Injuries that are the result of contact between the injured person and the source of injury, except when the contact was due to a fall, transportation incident, fire or explosion, or assault or violent act by a person. This division also excludes contact with harmful substances.
- The contact can be with a stationary or moving object, equipment, person, or animal.
This infographic provides an overview of the nonfatal trends. The data on nonfatal cases cover occupational injuries and illnesses and come from the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) for 2011-2024. 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. In addition, the definition of contact incidents was broadened in 2023, making comparisons across years difficult. Explore the data details tab for additional information on demographics, industry, occupation, days lost, and historic trends.