Detailed nonfatal data over 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 now 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
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. Currently, 2024 fatality data and 2023-2024 nonfatal data are using the new classification categories.
Over 2023-2024, contact incidents had the most DAFW cases at 499,270, closely followed by overexertion injuries with 492,140 cases, and falls, slips, trips with 479,480 cases. Looking at the broader set of DART cases, overexertion incidents was the leading injury event, followed by contact incidents, and falls, slips, and trips.
Notably, with the continued decrease in reported COVID-19 illness cases, the exposure to harmful substances or environments category dropped from the leading injury or illness event in 2021-2022 resulting in days away from work to the fourth most prevalent event category in 2023-2024.
Contact incidents, including:
- Contact with other person, nonviolent or intent unknown
- Contact with animals
- Collapse, engulfment
- Struck by propelled, falling, or suspended object
- Struck, caught, or compressed by running powered equipment
- Contact with non-running objects or equipment
Overexertion, repetitive motion, and bodily conditions include:
- Overexertion while moving or manipulating external object(s)
- Repetitive microtasks
- Bodily position and motion
- Bodily conditions
- Multiple types of overexertions, bodily motion and position
Falls, slips, trips include the following types of events:
- Fall to lower level
- Slip, trip, stumble while stepping between levels
- Slip, trip, stumble or fall on same level
Exposure to harmful substances or environments include:
- Exposure to electricity
- Exposure to radiation and noise
- Exposure to temperature extremes
- Exposure to air and water pressure change
- Exposure to harmful substances
- Exposure to oxygen deficiency
- Exposure to stressful environment without other event
This infographic provides a summary of the eight leading nonfatal work-related injuries involving days away from work during 2023 and 2024. Please visit the data details tab for additional information on both nonfatal and fatal injury events.