2024 NASI Report: Workplace Injuries and Fatalities
Rafael Gonzalez, Esq.
speaker, blogger, podcaster, adjunct, attorney providing medicare/medicaid counsel nationwide on secondary payer issues in liability, no-fault, and work comp claims and litigated cases
This is the National Academy of Social Insurance 26th annual report on workers’ compensation benefits, costs, and coverage. The report presents new data on state and federal workers’ compensation programs for 2021 and updated estimates for 2017-2020. The report can be found at https://www.nasi.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2024-WC-Report-2021-Data-Final.pdf
As I have done for each annual report over the last 26 years, what follows is a verbatim review of analysis, statistics, information, and commentary provided within the 2024 report, examining the 2021 data.
Workers Compensation Injuries and Fatalities
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, in 2021, there were 5,190 work-related fatalities, a significant increase from 2020 (4,764), but still below the number of 2019 workplace fatalities (5,333). The leading cause of work-related fatalities in 2021 was transportation incidents, accounting for 38.2% of all fatal injuries. Other leading causes of fatalities were: falls, slips, and trips (16.4%); violence and other injuries by persons or animals (14.6%); and contact with objects and equipment (13.6%).
Within these broad categories, the subcategories that were the most common causes of workplace fatalities in 2021 were roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle (24.1%), intentional injury by another person (13.8%), exposure to other harmful substances (10.6%) and struck by object or equipment (9.1%).
Number of Fatal Occupational injuries in the US
Year??????????? Total Number of Fatalities
1992?????????? 6,217
1993?????????? 6,331
1994?????????? 6,632
1995?????????? 6,275
1996?????????? 6,202
1997?????????? 6,238
1998?????????? 6,055
1999?????????? 6,054
2000?????????? 5,920
2001?????????? 8,786 (2,886 due to 9/11 events)
2002?????????? 5,534
2003?????????? 5,575
2004?????????? 5,764
2005?????????? 5,734
2006?????????? 5,840
2007?????????? 5,657
2008?????????? 5,214
2009?????????? 4,551
2010?????????? 4,690
2011?????????? 4,693
2012?????????? 4,628
2013?????????? 4,585
2014?????????? 4,821
2015?????????? 4,836
2016?????????? 5,190
2017?????????? 5,147
2018?????????? 5,250
2019?????????? 5,333
2020?????????? 4,764 (COVID-19 Pandemic)
2021?????????? 5,190
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Non-Fatal Occupational Injuries in Private Industry in the US
Since 1992, the number of non-fatal occupational injuries in private industry has been decreasing as a result of safer work conditions and employer programs focused on employee safety. That trend continued in 2021, as the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 2.6 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in private industry workplaces in 2021, of which 1.1 million involved days away from work. Both the numbers of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses, and cases involving days away from work, declined slightly from 2020, despite increases in employment over that time.
Year??????????? Number of Occupational Injuries
1987?????????? 6.0 million
1988?????????? 6.4 million
1989?????????? 6.6 million
1990?????????? 6.8 million
1991?????????? 6.3 million
1992?????????? 6.8 million
1993?????????? 6.7 million
1994?????????? 6.8 million
1995?????????? 6.6 million
1996?????????? 6.2 million
1997?????????? 6.1 million
1998?????????? 5.9 million
1999?????????? 5.7 million
2000?????????? 5.7 million
2001?????????? 5.2 million
2002?????????? 4.7 million
2003? ???????? 4.4 million
2004?????????? 4.3 million
2005?????????? 4.2 million
2006?????????? 4.1 million
2007?????????? 4.0 million
2008?????????? 4.0 million
2009?????????? 3.3 million
2010?????????? 3.1 million
2011?????????? 3.0 million
2012?????????? 3.0 million
2013?????????? 3.0 million
2014?????????? 3.0 million
2015?????????? 2.9 million
2016?????????? 2.9 million
2017?????????? 2.8 million
2018?????????? 2.8 million
2019?????????? 2.8 million
2020?????????? 2.7 million
2021?????????? 2.6 million
About Rafael Gonzalez, Esq.
Rafael earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida, and his Jurisprudence Doctorate degree from the Florida State University. He has 40 years’ experience in the legal and insurance industries. He is currently a partner in Cattie & Gonzalez, PLLC, a national law firm serving clients in all 50 states and US territories, focused on Medicare and Medicaid secondary payer law and compliance in liability, no-fault, and workers compensation claims and litigated cases. Rafael is active on social media, with over 100,000 followers on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Youtube. For more information, you may visit him at www.cattielaw.com, reach him at [email protected], or speak with him at 813.967.7598.