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 covers 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.
Following highway crashes and violent acts, falls to a lower level is the third leading fatal workplace event and the fifth leading event resulting in both DART and DAFW cases. In 2024, 666 workers died and in 2023-2024, 119,190 DART cases (including 87,880 DAFW cases) were reported. The falls to a lower level category includes:
- Falls and jumps to a lower level in which the injury was produced by impact between the injured person and a surface or object, where the motion of the person and the force of impact were generated by gravity, and the point of contact with the surface or object was lower than the surface supporting the person at the start of the fall.
- Falls from ground level to a lower level, such as into storm drains or sewers, are included.
- Falls resulting from or causing another harmful event, such as chemical exposure, electric shock, or a contact injury where significant injuries result from both the fall and the other event are also included here.
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 2013-2024. 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 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 should be done with caution. Explore the data details tab for additional information on demographics, industry, occupation, days lost, and historic trends.