News: Workplace Injury and Illness Case Rates Have Declined

Newly released 2023 findings from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics illustrate impacts the COVID-19 pandemic had on workplace injury and illness case rates in private industry. They also highlight the need for continued vigilance regarding exposure risk identification, employee medical monitoring, and other workplace prevention efforts.

Private industry employers reported 2.6 million work-related injuries and illnesses in 2023, an 8.4 decrease when compared to 2022. Overall, 200,100 illnesses of all types were reported, the lowest rate since 2019. The decline is primarily attributed to a 72.6 percent decrease in respiratory illness cases between 2022 and 2023.

Among the 2.6 million total reported cases, 946,500 involved days away from work, 20.1 percent lower than in 2022. There were 581,000 cases involving days of job transfer or restriction. These data suggest that remaining at work in some capacity while recovering from an injury or a non-contagious illness is a viable option in many workplaces.

Additional findings include:

• The total recordable case rate in private industry was 2.4 per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, down from 2.7 in 2022 and the lowest rate since these data were first collected in 2003.
• Injuries occurred at a rate of 2.2 cases per 100 FTE workers compared to 2.3 cases in 2022.
• The illness incidence rate decreased from 45.2 cases per 10,000 FTEs to 19 per 10,000 in 2023.
• Respiratory illnesses occurred at a rate of 35.8 cases per 10,000 FTES in 2022 compared to 9.5 per 10,000 in 2023.
• In private industry healthcare and social assistance settings, total recordable injuries and illnesses decreased from 665,300 in 2022 to 562,500 in 2023.
• Injuries in food and beverage stores increased 6.5 percent to 78,200 cases in 2023, up from 73,500 in 2022.
• Couriers and messengers had 77,000 total cases in 2023, comprising 29 percent of cases in the transportation and warehousing sector (265,700).

The bureau uses its national Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses and other sources to track and report injury, illness, and fatality rates.

WorkCare’s workplace injury and illness prevention and management solutions help lower workplace case rates. Contact us to learn more.