Each November and December, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases their annual reports on workplace illnesses and injuries. This year’s numbers reveal some interesting information.
Private industry employers reported 2.6 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2023, down 8.4 percent from 2022, the BLS reported in its 2023 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII). This decrease was driven by a 56.6-percent drop in illnesses to 200,100 cases in 2023, the lowest number since 2019. This was due to a 72.6-percent decrease in respiratory illness cases, down to 100,200 cases in 2023.
In 2023, the incidence rate of total recordable cases in private industry was 2.4 cases per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, down from 2.7 in 2022. This was the lowest TRC rate for this data series going back to 2003.
There were 946,500 nonfatal injuries and illnesses involving days away from work in 2023, 20.1 percent lower than in 2022. These represented 62.0 percent of cases involving days away from work, job restriction, or transfer.
OSHA’s Doug Parker said in a statement: “Despite the progress… OSHA’s work is far from complete. Too many workers are injured or sickened every day in the United States, mostly from preventable incidents. We all must continue our commitment to making sure that every worker is able to go home healthy and whole.”
The BLS will release data on industry fatalities in 2023 on December 19. 2024.
46% of companies see rise in incidents during the holidays
Research, released by EcoOnline in November, revealed that outside of seasonal illnesses, the top three holiday hazards for North American workers are preventable: fatigue from increased workload and/or longer working hours (45%), weather-related hazards (40%), and increased stress or pressure to meet deadlines (39%).
Nearly half of managers report a rise in incidents during the holidays, while 49% note that general incident rates have remained stable year over year for the past few years, and 32% said they are increasing. With only 12% seeing a decline, these figures indicate the need for streamlined, technology-backed solutions year-round.
When comparing data across the US, Canada, and the UK, researchers see consistently higher figures in risks to seasonal workers in North America, where 46% of respondents say risks increase during the holidays (compared to the UK’s 42%) and they index higher on each preventable cause. Investment in North America is also higher at 71%, pointing to the need for the creation of a more robust system, and indicating the impact from differences in regulatory pressures. While regulations like the OSHA in North America look to safeguard workers, in the EU, more stringent frameworks like the COSHH compliance, ISO 45001 and CSRD require businesses operating in these regions to take on the burden of care for employees in a more systemized way.
ISHN’s November poll
In November, we polled our website readers on the changing administration in the White House. We asked readers: What kind of impact do you think President-Elect Trump will have on workplace safety? Early in the month, the overwhelming majority responded that they thought he would have a negative impact on workplace safety. As of publication, the numbers a bit more even, with 45 percent saying he will have a positive impact and 55 percent saying it will be negative. Let’s see what happens beginning in January. Check out the results of our monthly polls and take part: www.ishn.com/polls
