Health & Safety Stats - Leveraging Data To Build Safer Workplaces In 2026

U.S. nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses and fatal work injuries both declined in 2024. However, millions of cases were still reported, while transportation incidents, overexertion, contact incidents, and harmful exposures continued to create serious risks.

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Safer Workplaces in 2026

This workplace safety statistics report features key information points that can aid organizations in understanding safety programs.

It also covers how companies can use EHS statistics to develop more informed response plans and training programs, mitigate risks, and, ultimately, prevent fatalities in the workplace.

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Operational Benefits of Strong Safety Practices

Workplace safety isn’t just for compliance with safety regulations. It’s a measure that can help organizations drive higher productivity, lessen downtime, and obtain long-term benefits.

These include maintaining a competitive edge, attracting top talent, and building a positive reputation in their respective industries.

To enhance safety management, organizations should analyze workplace safety data. This allows them to:

• Manage risks more effectively
• Proactively prevent accidents
• Improve accountability
• Comply with regulations
• Enhance overall operational efficiency

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Nonfatal Workplace Incidents Statistics

Nonfatal incidents make up a significant portion of workplace safety concerns. Tracking these cases helps highlight patterns and pinpoint areas that need stronger safety measures.

• Private industry employers in the US reported 2.5 million cases of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2024.
• This shows a 3.1% decrease in workplace injuries and illnesses reported by employers compared to data in 2023.
• Over the 2023–2024 period, 1.8 million cases involved days away from work (DAFW).
• Workplace illness cases decreased by 26% in 2024.

Analysis of Nonfatal Incidents

Recent data shows clear changes in the types and frequency of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses. These shifts point to new risks that organizations should start addressing through a stronger risk management system and improved incident reporting.

• The incidence rate of respiratory illnesses fell from 9.5 cases per 10,000 full-time workers in 2023 to 5.1 in 2024.
• Respiratory illness cases fell 46.1% in 2024, helping drive the 26% decrease in all workplace illness cases to 148,000.
• For context, respiratory illness cases fell from 365,000 in 2022 to 100,200 in 2023 and 54,000 in 2024.
• In 2024, 2.3 nonfatal work injury and illness cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers were reported.
  
  • 2023: 2.4 cases per 100 workers
  • 2022: 2.7 per 100 workers

Over the 2023–2024 period, the following causes were associated with the most days away, restricted, or transferred (DART) cases:

• Overexertion, repetitive motion, and bodily conditions: 946,290 DART cases
• Contact incidents: 860,050 DART cases

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Key Statistics on Fatal Incidents

Fatal work injuries in the US dropped to 5,070 in 2024. This represents a 4% decrease from the 5,283 cases reported in 2023. The decline came along with a lower fatal work injury rate:

• 3.7 fatalities in every 100,000 full-time equivalent workers (FTE) in 2022.
• 3.5 fatalities in every 100,000 FTE in 2023.
• 3.3 fatalities in every 100,000 FTE in 2024.

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Analysis of Fatal Incidents

The 2024 decline was largely driven by a 16.2% drop in fatalities due to exposure to harmful substances or environments. The same data also shows:

• A worker died every 104 minutes from a work-related injury in 2024 compared to 99 minutes in 2023.
• Fatalities due to violent acts totaled 733 in 2024.
• Drug or alcohol overdoses accounted for 410 fatalities in 2024, down from 512 fatalities in 2023.
• Transportation incidents were reported as the most frequent type of fatal event, making up 38.2% (1,937 cases) of all reported occupational fatalities. For context, previous years were:
  
  • 2023: 1,942 cases
  • 2022: 2,066 cases

This drop in fatal incidents highlights just how important it is to implement more robust safety measures at work.

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Global Work-Related Deaths Statistics

The latest data from the ILO shows that nearly three million workers die every year due to workplace accidents and diseases. This continues to happen despite improvements in workplace safety.

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Key Causes and Risk Factors

Most work-related fatalities (2.6 million) are due to work-related diseases, with the top three causes being:

• Circulatory diseases (32.36%)
• Malignant neoplasms (27.50%)
• Chronic respiratory diseases (14.25%)

[CHART PLACEHOLDER: Composition of Global Work-Related Deaths]

Common risk factors that influence these fatalities may include:

• Long working hours
• Unprotected exposure to hazardous substances and biological hazards
• Socio-demographic changes, such as the growing global labor force
• Improvements in diagnostic tools, which contribute to the growing number of work-related injuries and deaths that are detected

The 2019 estimates also show an unequal gender distribution. The male mortality rate was 108.3 deaths per 100,000 people in the labor force, compared with 48.4 per 100,000 for females.

Despite progress in Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) protocols, workers and employers are still facing significant challenges in maintaining workplace health and safety.

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How COVID-19 Transformed U.S. Workplaces

The Pew Research Center’s 2025 report on how COVID-19 changed U.S. workplaces documents how the pandemic reshaped the U.S. labor market and work environment.

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Impact on the Labor Market

• Unemployment surged from 3.8% in February 2020 to 14.4% in April 2020. By late 2021, the rate recovered to around 4%. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Situation — June 2026 release (PDF) reported an unemployment rate of 4.2% in June 2026.
• Groups such as women, immigrants, young workers, those without a high school diploma, and lower-income workers were hit hardest.
• Many workers, especially women, left the labor force entirely during the first year of the pandemic.

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Shift to Telework

• A rapid move to remote work occurred, with 55% of teleworkable employees working from home by October 2020.
• In March 2026, about 22.6% of workers teleworked or worked at home for pay. 
• Among U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs in May 2026, 26% worked exclusively remotely and 52% followed a hybrid schedule.
• Around 60% of workers hold jobs that cannot be done remotely.

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Worker Experience and Technology

• Most remote workers reported an easy transition regarding technology and meeting deadlines, though challenges with interruptions and motivation persisted, particularly among younger employees.
• As of October 2024, 54% of workers with teleworkable jobs used video conferencing platforms such as Zoom or Webex often, while 25% used them sometimes.
• The Pew Research Center’s 2025 report on technology use found that 48% of Americans say the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way they now use technology.

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Workplace Safety and Health Measures

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics fact sheet on COVID-19 in Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses data recorded the following 2020 private-industry days-away-from-work cases under the viral-disease classification used for reported COVID-19 cases:

• Healthcare and social assistance: 288,890 cases
• Manufacturing: 30,490 cases
• Retail trade: 19,090 cases
• Accommodation and food services: 8,640 cases
• Wholesale trade: 8,600 cases

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Return to In-Person Work

• As offices reopened, many employers instituted hybrid work models.
• 73% say their current arrangement has helped them when it comes to balancing work and their personal life.
• Six in 10 exclusively remote employees say they are extremely likely to look for a new job if remote flexibility is removed.
• 49% of those who are working from home at least sometimes say their current work arrangement has made it harder for them to feel connected with their co-workers.

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Most Affected Occupational Economic Sectors During COVID-19

Based on Eurostat data for 2020:

• 5% of work accidents in 2020 stemmed from COVID-19, while 8% of what was categorized as occupational diseases were classified as COVID-19 cases.
• During this same period, more than 148,000 COVID-19-related work accidents occurred, while 9,113 COVID-19 cases were reported as occupational diseases.
• Of the different sectors affected by the pandemic, the health sector was affected the most:
  
  • 23% of work accidents were reported as occupational COVID-19 cases.
  • 39% of occupational diseases are classified as COVID-19 cases.

Eurostat notes that national authorities used different approaches to recognize occupational COVID-19 cases, which limits direct country-to-country comparisons.

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Building a Smarter Safety Culture

Despite recent improvements in injury and fatality rates, serious workplace health and safety risks remain. This points to the need for stronger and more proactive safety protocols across industries.

Awareness of health and safety trends helps create a safer work environment. For instance, the continued occurrence of fatal injuries and preventable deaths reveals which workplace practices or activities contribute the most to these incidents.

With this information, organizations can begin identifying these hazards. They can also develop effective safety plans and programs tailored to their unique needs.

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Predictions and Trends in Workplace Safety

Standards in building and maintaining workplace safety continue to change. Tracking new trends and practices helps organizations stay ahead while keeping their workforce safe.

Below are some of the emerging trends and predictions in workplace safety that are worth looking at:

• A growing need to keep employees engaged and well-informed. Organizations can keep up with this trend by hosting regular EHS training sessions that employ out-of-the-box approaches, like immersive technologies. They can also encourage workers to report hazards actively.
• Organizations can use technologies such as AI and IoT (Internet of Things) to collect and analyze EHS data, identify recurring exposure patterns, and support more proactive safety decisions.
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs focus on core elements like worker participation, hazard identification, and continuous improvement.

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References and Data Sources

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (PDF), January 22, 2026
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2024 (PDF), February 19, 2026
• International Labour Organization, A Call for Safer and Healthier Working Environments (PDF), 2023
• Pew Research Center, How COVID-19 Changed U.S. Workplaces, February 12, 2025
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Employment Situation — June 2026 (PDF), July 2, 2026
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 22.6 Percent of Workers Teleworked in March 2026, April 16, 2026
• Gallup, Hybrid Work Indicator
• Pew Research Center, How COVID-19 Impacted Americans’ Relationship With Technology, February 12, 2025
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, How COVID-19 Is Reflected in the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Data
• Eurostat, Occupational COVID-19 Cases: How Many in 2020?, April 28, 2023
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs

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