Work Injuries and Illnesses by Part of Body
Detailed nonfatal data over 2021-2022
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. BLS now publishes detailed data covering 2021 and 2022 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 and part of body 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 not always available and, when available, should be done with caution. Currently, 2023-2024 nonfatal data are using the new classification categories.
National Safety Council (NSC) analysis of BLS data finds that upper extremities was the body part category most frequently affected by both DAFW and DART injuries and illnesses in 2023-2024. In 2021-2022, body systems was the body part category most frequently impacted by DAFW cases, but with the decrease in COVID-19 cases the body system category fell to the eighth most frequently impacted.
Regarding specific body parts, trunk-related injuries resulted in the most DAFW and DART cases, followed by back and hand injuries. Across all lost time cases due to injuries and illnesses, the median number of days away from work per incident was 8, while the median number of DART days was 14 in 2023-2024.
Median DAFW/DART by body part:
- Shoulder: 26/36
- Knee: 18/27
- Leg: 15/22
- Wrist: 15/25
- Arm: 14/21
- Lower extremities 14/19
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. The private sector nonfatal case data do not cover the self-employed, unpaid family workers, or federal, state, or local government employees.
Data for DART and DAFW cases are presented for the sex, age, occupation, and industry of the worker; and for the nature of the injury or illness, the source of the injury or illness, and the event or exposure that produced the injury or illness. For a more accurate comparison of injury and illness frequency, adjust the category “level of detail” filter to compare categories of similar scope.
- Chart
- Data Table
