BLS data shows improvements, but more education and resources are needed to keep people safe on the job.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its annual report on fatal occupational injuries for 2023. The results are encouraging but more needs to be done. The report reveals 5,283 fatal work injuries were recorded in the United States that year, a 3.7% decrease from 5,486 deaths on the job in 2022. Although the rate of 3.5 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers is also down from 2022, it shows no improvement from 2017 levels.
Unintentional overdose from nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol on the job has increased greatly over the last decade, now totaling 512 in 2023. While this is down from 2022, more must be done by employers to prevent these fatalities. Overdoses can happen anywhere, and the BLS report shows these medical emergencies can be fatal and are occurring in the workplace. This further makes overdose and naloxone awareness, access to naloxone in workplace first aid kits and other locations, and adoption of programs to ensure workplaces and their employees are equipped to save a life critical components to workplace safety.
Some of the other key takeaways from the report are:
● The fatal work injury rate was 3.5 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, down from 3.7 per 100,000 FTE in 2022
● A worker died every 99 minutes from a work-related injury in 2023
● Transportation incidents remained the most frequent type of fatal event in 2023 with 1,942 fatal injuries; this major category accounted for 36.8% of all work-related fatalities for 2023
● Fatalities due to violent acts totaled 740 in 2023. There were 458 homicides accounting for 61.9% of violent acts and 8.7% of all work-related fatalities.
● Opioids were the primary source of 162 fatalities and contributed to an additional 144 fatalities where multiple drugs were the source.
● The fatal injury count and rate for Black or African American workers decreased from 2022 to 2023. The count dropped 10.2% from 734 in 2022 to 659 in 2023, and the rate dropped from 4.2 to 3.6 cases per 100,000 FTE workers.
These data provided by BLS make it clear more education and resources, such as policies and training, are needed to keep people safe on the job. The National Safety Council encourages lawmakers to support and pass the bipartisan WORK to Save Lives Act (S.2948, H.R. 5420), which removes barriers to get opioid overdose reversal medications in workplaces and serves as a crucial step toward preventing workplace fatalities from opioid overdoses. To learn more about how employers can help end the overdose epidemic and ensure they are prepared to respond, please visit nsc.org/respondready. For more information on other ways to eliminate workplace fatalities through the use of technology, please visit nsc.org/worktozero.
About the National Safety Council
The National Safety Council is America’s leading nonprofit safety advocate – and has been for 110 years. As a mission-based organization, we work to eliminate the leading causes of preventable death and injury, focusing our efforts on the workplace and roadways. We create a culture of safety to not only keep people safer at work, but also beyond the workplace so they can live their fullest lives.
With a century-long legacy, the National Safety Council is a global center for safety expertise. Let's work together to align resources. We look forward to learning about ways we can join efforts to expand safety everywhere!
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