Federal fatality data revealed that work-related injuries resulted in the death of a worker every 96 minutes in the U.S. in 2022 compared to every 101 minutes the previous year. A report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed that there were 5,486 fatal work injuries in 2022, which was a 5.7% increase over the 5,190 recorded in 2021.
On the Rise
Fatalities due to violence and other injuries by persons or animals jumped 11.6% to 849 in 2022, compared to 2021’s 761. Of those fatalities, homicides accounted for 61.7%, with 524 deaths, an 8.9% increase.
Unintentional overdoses at work resulted in 525 fatalities in 2022, an increase of 13.1% over 2021’s 464. This continued a trend of annual increases in this category since 2012. Suicides also surged in 2022, with an increase of 13.1% to 267 fatalities. This followed consecutive decreases in 2020 and 2021.
Transportation Still on Top
The occupational group with the most fatalities was the transportation and material moving industry, with 1,620 fatal work injuries in 2022. Transportation incidents remained the most frequent type of fatal event, with 37.7% of all occupational fatalities. These types of incidents resulted in 2,066 fatal injuries in 2022, which is a 4.2% increase over 1,982 the previous year.
The next highest was construction and extraction, with 1,056 fatalities, an 11% increase from 2021.
