Reflecting on work injuries, illnesses, and fatalities for Workers' Memorial Day

April 28 is Workers’ Memorial Day, a day to commemorate people who died or were injured on the job. In 2019, 5,333 workers suffered fatal injuries in the United States, and 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses were reported by private industry employers.

For nonfatal injuries and illnesses resulting in days away from work, overexertion and bodily reaction resulted in 275,590 cases. That was 31.0 percent of the 2019 total of 888,220 cases. Falls, slips, and trips accounted for 27.5 percent of cases. Contact with objects and equipment accounted for 25.8 percent of cases.

Fatal work injuries in 2019 increased 1.6 percent from the 2018 total. The 2019 total was the highest annual count since 2007. Fatal injuries resulting from falls, slips, and trips experienced the largest increase from 2018, with 89 more cases reported in 2019. The largest decrease in fatal injuries in 2019 was from contact with objects and equipment, with 54 fewer cases than in 2018.

Transportation incidents continued to be the most frequent type of fatal event, with 2,122 cases in 2019. Roadway incidents involving a motorized land vehicle remained the most common type of fatal transportation incident, with 1,270 cases reported in 2019. That was 59.8 percent of fatal transportation incidents.

These data are from the Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities program. For more information, see “Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses — 2019” and “National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries in 2019.” We also have more charts on fatal work injuries.