Fatal Occupational Injuries Decline Second Year in Row

March 4, 2026

"This progress shows that when employers focus on serious injury and fatality risks, invest in prevention and build strong safety cultures, lives are protected," said Lorraine Martin, CEO, NSC.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2024 fatal occupational injuries data showed 5,070 worker deaths – a second consecutive year of decline.

The fatal work injury 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.

The decrease in fatal injuries in 2024 was largely driven by a 16.2% drop in fatalities due to exposure to harmful substances or environments (to 687 cases from 820). This decrease was in turn driven by a decline in drug or alcohol overdoses, which accounted for 59.7% of fatalities in this category, dropping to 410 fatal injuries in 2024 from 512 fatalities in 2023.

Key findings include

--A worker died every 104 minutes from a work-related injury in 2024 compared to 99 minutes in 2023.--Workers in transportation and material moving occupations represented the occupational group with the most fatalities with 1,391 fatal work injuries in 2024, though this was a 7& decrease from 2023(1,495). The fatality rate for these workers was 12.5 fatalities per 100,000 FTE workers in 2024, down from 13.6 in 2023.