COVID-19

COVID-19 DAFW cases decreased 79% from 2021-2022 to 2023-2024, from 560,750 to 119,286 cases. Starting in 2020, 390,020 DAFW cases were categorized as “other diseases due to viruses not elsewhere classified,” which includes reported COVID-19 related illnesses. No cases in this category have been reported since 2016, so it was assumed that all or nearly all of the 390,020 DAFW cases in 2020 involved COVID-19. Starting with the 2023 data year, the revised Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Manual (V 3.02) includes a nature code specific to COVID-19 (Coronavirus—novel). With any coding change, caution should be used when making comparisons.

Unfortunately, no data are available regarding work-related or occupational fatalities related to COVID-19. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) excludes fatal occupational illness cases from its surveillance programs because of the difficulty of quantifying illness cases that often involve extended latency periods between the occupational exposure and onset of illness.

Because of illness cases related to COVID-19, the leading cause of DAFW cases in 2021-2022 was “exposure to harmful substances or environments.” With the decrease in COVID-19 cases, exposure to harmful substances or environments fell to the fourth leading cause of DAFW cases in 2023-2024.

Using the interactive chart, several trends become clear. First, females are highly overrepresented, experiencing 78.7% of DAFW COVID-19 cases and an incident rate 4.9 times higher than males. Second, over half of DAFW cases occurred in the Health Care and Social Assistance Industry (77%). The Health Care and Social Assistance Industry experienced a COVID-19 DAFW case rate of 29.1 per 10,000 workers, compared to the all industry average of 5.6. Lastly, 99% of the COVID-19 DART cases involved days away from work (DAFW). 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. 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 2020 to 2023-2024.

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Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.