Employer-reported Nonfatal Workplace Injuries and Illnesses Up 7.5% From 2021

Private industry employers reported a 7.5% increase in nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2022 compared to 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The incidence rate of total recordable cases was 2.7 cases per 100 workers who are full-time equivalent (FTE). In 2022, the rate of injury cases remained at 2.3 cases per 100 workers, the same as in 2021.

The increase in reported injury and illness cases can be attributed to both injuries and illnesses. Private industry employers reported the increase in illnesses is due to an increase in respiratory illness cases, which were up 35.4% (365,000 cases) in 2022 from 269,600 in 2021. Total injury cases increased from 2.1 million cases in 2020 to 2.2 million in 2021, a 6.3% increase.

During the 2021-2022 period, 78.6% (223,680) of days away from work, job restriction or transfer (DART) cases involving health care practitioners and technical occupations led to a minimum of one day of work absence, while the remaining 21.4% (61,020) led to job transfer or restriction for one or more days.

In contrast, among production occupations, 53.8% (223,840 cases) of DART cases resulted in one or more days away from work, with the remaining 46.2% (192,480 cases) necessitating job transfer or restriction.

Within major occupation groups, transportation and material moving occupations recorded the highest number of DART cases, totaling 835,040 injuries and illnesses during the 2021-2022 timeframe. These cases occurred at an annualized incidence rate of 410.0 cases per 10,000 FTE workers. Among these DART cases, 60.3% (503,610 cases) entailed at least one day away from work, while 39.7% (331,430 cases) resulted in one or more days of job transfer or restriction.

During the two-year span from 2021 to 2022, there were 2.2 million instances of cases involving days away from work (DAFW), constituting 66.5% of the total cases encompassing DART. These cases transpired at an annualized incidence rate of 112.9 cases per 10,000 FTE employees and necessitated a median of 10 days away from work.

Concurrently, there were 1.1 million cases involving days of job transfer or restriction (DJTR), accounting for 33.5% of the overall DART cases. These DJTR cases occurred at an annualized rate of 56.9 cases per 10,000 FTE workers, with a median duration of 15 days for job transfer or restriction during the 2021-2022 period.

For more information on workplace injuries and illnesses, contact us today.

Article Published By: Zywave, Inc.