Exposure to harmful substances or environments
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.
In 2023-2024, exposure to harmful substances or environments resulted in 224,450 DART cases (including 196,540 DAFW cases). This is a dramatic decrease in nonfatal cases resulting from a 79% decrease in COVID-19 cases. See the COVID-19 page for more details. In 2024, 687 fatalities were reported. More than half of these deaths (411) resulted from drugs or alcohol overdoses. Since 2011, fatal workplace overdoses have increased over 460%. However, trends are improving. Overdose deaths have decreased for the last two years and are now 22% lower than the all-time high of 525 deaths experienced in 2022. Please note that COVID-19 work-related deaths are not recorded because the BLS fatality surveillance system (CFOI) does not track fatal work-related illnesses.
Exposure to harmful substances or environments includes:
- Injuries that are the result of an exposure to a condition or substance in the work environment.
- Exposure to electricity; hot and cold environments or objects; caustic or poisonous substances or oxygen deficiency; drug overdoses.
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. Fatality estimates continue to be available annually. However, 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 should be done with caution. Explore the data details tab for additional information on demographics, industry, occupation, days lost, and historic trends.