The number and rate of workers killed on the job dropped in 2024, the last year of the Biden administration, according to data reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) last week in its annual Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). The BLS reported last month that workplace injuries and illnesses also declined in 2024.
5,070 workers were killed on the job in the US in 2024, down 4.0 percent from 5,283 in 2023. The fatality rate was 3.3 fatalities per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers in 2024, a decrease from a rate of 3.5 in 2023. This is the lowest number of workplace fatalities since 2015, except for 2020 — the COVID year, and the lowest workplace death rate since 2013.
5,070 workers were killed on the job in the US in 2024, down 4.0 percent from 5,283 in 2023. That comes to one worker killed every 104 minutes, almost 14 workers killed every day, and close to 100 every week.
That comes to one worker killed every 104 minutes, almost 14 workers killed every day, and close to 100 every week.
None of these fatalities include workers who died of occupational diseases in 2024, estimated to be over 130,000. Occupational disease deaths are harder to count because they often happen years or decades after exposures to carcinogens or other toxic substances. And the United States has no national comprehensive surveillance system for occupational illnesses.
Most of the decrease was due to a 16.2 percent drop in fatalities due to exposure to harmful substances or environments (to 687 cases from 820), mainly driven by a decline in drug or alcohol overdoses which declined from 512 to 410.
Transportation incidents continue to be the most frequent type of fatal event, accounting for 38.2 percent of all occupational fatalities in 2024. 1,937 workers died in transportation incidents in in 2024. Transportation was followed by 844 workers killed in slips, trips and falls, and 733 due to violent acts.
But while fatalities due to violent acts decreased from 740 in 2023 to 733 in 2024, workplace homicides rose to 470 fatalities, up from 458 in 2023. Homicides accounted for almost two-thirds of deaths by violent acts and suicides accounted for the other 35.9%. Law enforcement deaths rose in 2024 from 97 to 132, a 36% increase. Around 30% of law enforcement officers’ deaths were due to traffic accidents and other accidental causes.
Meanwhile Trump’s OSHA has put its workplace violence standard in mothballs even though the DOL Inspector General recently recommended that OSHA more actively address the problem.
Logging workers (110.4 per 100,000) and fishing/hunting workers (88.8 per 100,000) had the highest fatality rates.
While fatalities among transportation, construction, manufacturing, building and grounds cleaning and maintenance and others went down last year, the number of workers killed in highway construction work zones went up from 48 to 61, a 27% increase.
The number and rate of workplace deaths for African American and Latino workers also decreased in 2024, although the rate for foreign born Hispanics rose. The number of Asian workers, workers over the age of 65 and under the age of 18 also increased. The death rate for workers under the age of 18 rose sharply from 1.9 to 2.7 per 100,000 workers.
Heat exposure deaths went down from 55 to 48, according to the BLS, although heat-related deaths are notoriously undercounted. OSHA is allegedly working on a final indoor and outdoor heat standard.
State and local employee fatalities also rose slightly from 356 to 367. Public employees are not covered by OSHA in 23 states.
Will the Good News Keep Up?
The Department of Labor’s Inspector General reported recently that the number of OSHA inspectors has fallen to an all-time low in the first year of Trump 2.0, and the New York Times reported last week that OSHA inspections during six months of last year had fallen 20%. Both The decreasing likelihood that any given employer will ever see an OSHA inspector impacts the value of OSHA’s deterrence.
Given these upsetting developments, it will be interesting to see if the falling trend of workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses continues next year. Barring any further government shutdowns, the injury, illness and death data for 2025 should be out next Fall.