New event categories starting in 2023
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (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.
Workplace unintentional overdose deaths involving drugs or alcohol have increased over 460% since 2011. Overdose deaths totaled 411 in 2024, which was 8.1% of all occupational injury deaths in 2024. However, trends are improving. Deaths have decreased for the last two years and are now 22% lower than the all-time high of 525 deaths experienced in 2022.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks the number of workplace unintentional overdose deaths involving the nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol through the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) surveillance system. This category excludes accidental exposure to drugs such as: during manufacturing, dispensing or administration of a drug; drugs taken for therapeutic use; vaccines; suicides and other purposeful injuries resulting from drugs; and drug overdoses in which the intent is unknown.
Looking at the type of drugs or medications involved, 104 deaths were linked solely to opioids as the primary source of injury in 2024. However, the largest category of overdoses involved multiple drugs or medications, accounting for 173 deaths. Within this category, the combination of opioids and stimulants accounted for 83 deaths, while the combination of opioids and other depressants accounted for 32 deaths.
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Explore the latest overdose death trends using the visualization provided below.
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Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (in cooperation with state, New York City, District of Columbia, and federal agencies), Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.