--- title: "The Most Common Workplace Injuries & 2024 Statistics" canonical: "https://www.simplyinsurance.com/what-are-the-most-common-workplace-injuries/" description: "The most common workplace injuries are slips, trips, falls, and overexertion. See the latest stats by industry, occupation, and demographics." silo: "workers-comp" published: "2026-05-21" updated: "2026-08-18" author: "sa-el" source: "Simply Insurance" --- You may ask, **what are the most common workplace injuries,** well they are fall protection, safety communication, and respiratory protection; nevertheless, all kinds of injuries occur at work. And, believe it or not, in **2021, 2.5 million workers visited an emergency room** due to work-related injuries. This means if you are a small business without [workers comp insurance](https://www.simplyinsurance.com/compare-workers-compensation-insurance-quotes-online/) you are putting yourself at risk. If you want to know which types of injuries are most common in the United States workplace, keep reading for a comprehensive list with some eye-opening statistics, and [Compare Workers Comp Insurance Quotes Online](https://www.simplyinsurance.com/compare-workers-compensation-insurance-quotes-online/). ## What Are the Most Common Workplace Injuries? Sprains, strains, and tears top the list, followed by cuts, lacerations, bruising, and fractures, with overexertion and slips or falls causing most of these injuries on the job. ### What Are The Most Common Workplace Injuries? OSHA has identified fall protection, hazard communication, and respiratory protection as the top three most common workplace injury categories. Although several of the top 10 most frequently violated OSHA standards in 2020 were construction-specific — ladder safety, scaffolding rules, and fall protection on job sites — most violations showed up across all industries. In 2020, OSHA flagged these general industry violations as especially hazardous: - Failure to communicate hazards properly - Missing respiratory protection and eye and face protection - Uncontrolled hazardous energy - Risks from powered industrial trucks and equipment - Machine guarding without proper fall-prevention training ### Overexertion, slips, trips, falls, and contact with objects account for the majority of nonfatal injuries that cost workers time away from work. Most nonfatal workplace injuries in the U.S. come down to physical overexertion — heavy lifting, pushing, pulling, or repetitive motion — along with equipment-related accidents. Workers over 50 face a noticeably higher risk across all of these categories. ### In 2019, slips, trips, and falls caused about 27.4% of nonfatal workplace injuries in the private sector. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, falls, slips, and trips led to 244,000 workplace injuries that required time away from work in 2019. Those incidents resulted in 75,420 sprains, strains, and tears — plus 46,800 fractures and 6,740 cuts and lacerations. ### Overexertion and falls, slips, and trips tend to keep workers out the longest. These two injury categories typically result in about 13 days away from work. That's a significant difference from the country's third most common cause — contact with objects and equipment — which generally means around 5 days off. When you're looking at the real cost of workplace injuries, lost time matters just as much as medical bills. ## Top Workplace Injury Statistics - Around **160 million people are victims of work-related illness** worldwide, with about **340 million occupational accidents** each year. - Every year, **over 3 million workers in the United States** suffer an injury at work. - **2.5 million workers were treated in emergency** departments for workplace injuries in 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. - Every year, **over 4,600 people die on the job** in the United States. - **Slips, trips, and falls account for 27%** of all non-fatal injuries. - There are **only 2,000 OSHA inspectors** enforcing safety standards **for more than 8 million worksites**. - According to OSHA, **construction is one of the most hazardous jobs** and accounts for the **greatest number of fatalities each year**. - About **16 Americans died per day in 2020** due to workplace fatalities compared to 38 people in 1970. ## Workplace Death & Injury Trends ### Workplace deaths in the United States have decreased by more than 60% According to OSHA, workplace fatalities dropped by 60.5% between 1970 and 2019. That's a dramatic shift — on-the-job deaths fell from 38 per day in 1970 to 15 per day. It's real progress, even if 15 deaths a day still feels like too many. ### In 47 years, the workplace accident and illness rate dropped by almost 74% Workers were getting injured or falling sick at a rate 74% lower in 2019 than in 1972, according to OSHA. Back in 1972, there were roughly 10.9 incidents per 100 workers. By 2019, that number had fallen to about 2.8 incidents per 100 workers. Safer equipment, better training, and stronger regulations all played a role — but there's still ground to cover. ## 2020 Workplace Deaths by Occupation ### **Top 5 Occupations With The Highest Number Of Workplace Deaths** - **Transportation and material moving** – 1,282 Workplace Deaths - **Construction** – 976 Workplace Deaths - **Installation Maintenance & Repair** – 393  Workplace Deaths - **Management** – 361 Workplace Deaths - **Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance** – 307 Workplace Deaths ### **Top 5 Occupations With The Lowest Amount Of Workplace Deaths** - **Legal**– 5 Workplace Deaths - **Computer and mathematical**– 8 Workplace Deaths - **Educational instruction and library occupations** – 13 Workplace Deaths - **Life, physical, and social science** – 17 Workplace Deaths - **Business and financial operations** – 23 Workplace Deaths ## Number of Workplace Injuries in America ### How Many Workplace Injuries Occur Each Year? On average, **2.8 out of every 100 workers are injured on the job each year in the United States**. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that adds up to roughly 2.8 million nonfatal accidents and injuries annually across the country's private employment sector — a number that's hard to ignore. ### OSHA's 2021 budget is $591,787,000. That's a $10 million jump from 2020, when the budget sat at $581,787,000. In 2019, OSHA's annual funding was $557,787,000 — so the trend has been moving steadily upward. ### There are 1,850 OSHA inspectors covering 130 million workers. Federal OSHA operates out of just ten regional offices and 85 local offices. Factor in state partners, and you're looking at 8 million total worksites across the country. Do the math and you get roughly one inspector for every 70,000 employees — a pretty thin safety net. In 2019, those 1,850 federal and state inspectors conducted 33,393 federal inspections and 42,063 state inspections combined. ## Workplace Injury by Industry Statistics ### Manufacturing workplaces account for 15% of workplace injuries in the United States. The manufacturing sector consistently ranks among the highest for work-related injuries, according to BLS data. In 2019, there were 3.3 reportable non-fatal injuries or illnesses per 100 employees at manufacturing worksites — adding up to 421,400 workers injured or sickened on the job that year. Of those, 64,640 workers missed at least one day of work because of what happened to them on shift. Breaking that down: 28 percent (32,470) suffered sprains, strains, and tears; 14.5 percent (16,790) reported discomfort or pain; and 13.3 percent (15,380) had cuts, lacerations, or punctures. ### Construction has some of the highest on-the-job fatality rates of any U.S. industry. According to OSHA, **construction sites were responsible for 20% of employee fatalities in the private sector** in 2019. That same federal data shows 1,061 construction workers died that year — roughly one out of every five worker deaths across the country. Put another way, workplace deaths were running at about 15 per day nationally, which means around three of those were construction workers, every single day of the year. ### Line cooks faced the highest COVID-19 risk at work, according to University of California, San Francisco research. Of all occupations studied, line cooks were most likely to contract COVID-19 on the job — and most likely to die from it. At the peak of the pandemic, line workers had a **60%** higher chance of death compared to other workers. Cooks, warehouse staff, farmers, bakers, and construction laborers all saw mortality rates greater than **50%** during that period. ### Construction-related injuries put 79,660 people out of commission in 2019. Construction sites are genuinely dangerous places. BLS data shows that **9% of workplace injuries in 2019 occurred** on construction sites, resulting in 21,170 sprains, strains, and tears, 13,190 fractures, and 10,950 cuts. ## Workplace Injury Demographics ### **What Percent Of Workplace Deaths Are Male?** In 2019, **male workers died at a rate of 7.5 percent (366 out of 4,896) in the workplace,** and Homicide was responsible for around 20% of female employee fatalities (88 out of 437). ### **On average, men are hurt on the job 17.3% more frequently than women.** According to BLS statistics, in the private sector, 91.7 out of every 10,000 full-time male workers were hurt at work in 2019, compared to 80.4 out of 10,000 full-time female employees (or 17.3% more likely to be injured), implying that men are 17.3 percent more likely to be injured at work than women. Between 2018 and 2019, however, both injury rates for males and females dropped significantly. In each year from 2018 through 2020. ### **Men’s work injury rates are 7% higher than those of male government employees.** According to BLS statistics, 60% of all private-sector workplace injuries in 2019 were male, while 40% were female. When looking at the same period for government workers who were injured on the job, however, 53% of injuries were sustained by males and 47% by females. ### **People 65 years of age and older usually stay home from work for twice as long following an injury than the national average.** According to BLS statistics, 60% of all private-sector workplace injuries in 2019 were male, while 40% were female. When looking at the same period for government workers who were injured on the job, however, 53% of injuries were sustained by males and 47% by females. ### **21.3% of employees aged 25 to 34 were more likely to miss work in 2019 because of on-the-job injuries.** In the United States, 888,220 people were hurt at work and missed at least one day of work as a result of that accident, according to data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The ages 25 to 34 and 45 to 54 accounted for 189,310 or 19% of all workplace injuries, with 184,850 or 20.8 percent between 45 and 54 years old. Employees aged 14 to 15 had the fewest injuries (14-15), followed by those 16-19 years old (16-19), persons 65 and older (65+), and workers 20-24 years old (20-24). ### **In 2019, the states of California and Texas had the most workplace fatalities compared to any other state in the United States.** In 2019, **488 workers died on the job in Texas**, and **422 people** died on the job in **California**. Although the fatality rates were high in both states, California had a higher incident rate of 2.3 per 100,000 full-time employees, compared to Texas’ 3.8 per 100,000 full-time employees. Other states with higher than average fatal workplace accident rates included Wyoming (incident rate of 11.5), Alaska (9.9), North Dakota (9.6), West Virginia (7.9), South Dakota (6 .9) , and Mississippi (6 .7). ### **Arkansas, Delaware, and Georgia are the top three safest states, with workplace injury rates that are below the national average.** Workplace sickness and injury rates in Alabama, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Utah are comparable to the national average of 2.8 percent. Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (2), New Jersey (3), New York (4), North Carolina (5) Ohio (6) South Carolina Texas (9) Virginia (22). ### **On average, workers who are injured at work miss eight days of work.** In the commercial sector in 2019, the median number of days individuals were unable to work due to an on-the-job accident or injury was eight. Some businesses, however, had higher than average time away from work owing to workplace injuries. Workplace injuries in 2019 resulted in heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers missing an average of 19 days of work, light truck drivers losing an average of 20 days of income, and material movers and maintenance repair employees losing a total of 12 days’ wages. ### **Only about half of all employees who are hurt at work miss time due to their job-related injury or illness.** According to the Department of Labor, just 888,220 of the 2.8 million individuals injured in 2019 missed at least one day of work due to their injury or illness. The data revealed that .9 people per every 100 workers in the United States’ private business industry were hurt on the job and were unable to work for at least one day as a result of their injuries. ### **What Percentage Of employees actively seek redeployment?** The industry standard for redeployment with the same employer is 89.5% whereas the industry standard for redeployment to a new employer is 60.5%.  However, using resources from job search tools like Jooble or Indeed could probably help you figure out ways to increase your chances of redeployment to a new employer if you are looking to change your career path. ## Frequently Asked Questions [CPR v1: LLM-generate pass deferred. Populate this H2 body.] ## Concluding Thoughts ### **Taking Action** America has seen a significant reduction in workplace injuries and deaths over the past decade, but we still have work to do. A lot of people don’t realize that the workplace is a dangerous environment, as evidenced by these statistics about workplace injury rates. The statistics vary by occupation and industry type, so it’s important for business owners to understand their risks when hiring new employees or starting up a company. If you are a small business owner and aren’t covered, you can[click here for an instant workers comp insurance quote](https://www.simplyinsurance.com/compare-workers-compensation-insurance-quotes-online/). **Sources:** [OSHA](https://www.osha.gov/data/commonstats) |[U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/osh.pdf) | National Safety Council |[Work Injury Source](https://workinjurysource.com/workplace-injury-statistics-2019/) |[CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/02/jobs-where-workers-have-the-highest-risk-of-dying-from-covid-study.html) |[Zippia](https://www.zippia.com/advice/workplace-injury-statistics/) |