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A recent Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report revealed that employers reported decreased nonfatal workplace illnesses and injuries in 2023. This drop within private industry workplaces showed an 8.4 percent fall from 2022. A 56.6 percent drop in illnesses drove the decrease. Overall, the report examines the key factors contributing to the increase as reported to the BLS. In November 2023, the BLS released its 2022 Survey of Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses. The 2022 Survey, however, showed an increase in workplace illness and injuries year over year.
The Decrease in Workplace Illnesses and Injuries
According to the report, private industry employers reported 2.6 million nonfatal workplace illnesses and injuries in 2023. This is a considerable decrease from the previous year. The fall is explicitly due to the 56.6 percent drop in illnesses mentioned above. Explicitly, the number of illnesses reported in 2023 was 200,100 cases. Additionally, within that number, there was a 72.6 percent decrease in respiratory illness cases, now totaling 100,200 cases. Previously, respiratory illness cases spiked by 35.4 percent, reaching 365,000 cases in 2022. The BLS and the Department of Labor (DOL) obtained these findings from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII).
The Impact on Workdays
Specifically, in 2023, 946,500 cases involved days away from work (DAFW). This figure represents 62 percent of cases involving days away from work, job restriction, or transfer (DART). These cases occurred at an annualized incidence rate of 0.9 cases per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers. Significantly, this decreased from 1.2 cases in 2022.
Additionally, 581,000 cases involved days of job transfer or restriction (DJTR), accounting for 38 percent of total DART cases. These cases occurred at 0.6 cases per 100 FTE workers annually.
Examining the Annual Rates of Workplace Illnesses and Injuries
Comparatively, in 2023, the total recordable cases (TRC) incidence rate in private industry was 2.4 cases per 100 FTE workers. This figure was down from 2.7 cases in 2022 and is the lowest TRC rate since 2003. Accordingly, included within the overall TRC incidence rate, injuries occurred at a rate of 2.2 cases per 100 FTE workers. This was a decrease from 2.3 in 2022. Employers also reported an illness rate of 19.0 cases per 10,000 FTE workers, compared to 45.2 cases in 2022. Basically, this decrease can be attributed mainly to the drop in respiratory illness cases mentioned earlier.
Employer Takeaways
In conclusion, according to the BLS, the recent decrease in workplace injuries and illnesses proves that enhanced safety measures lead to safer workplaces. Businesses must take a proactive approach to addressing health and safety concerns in the workplace. (Employers can find additional information on six common workplace hazards to address here.) In summary, employers must prioritize the well-being of their workforce. Specifically, businesses should focus on injury and illness prevention to create safer and healthier work environments.
For this reason, WorkWise Compliance offers the Customizable Injury & Illness Prevention Plan (IIPP) Creator. This exclusive compliance solution includes a 15-minute interactive tutorial, questions to help you select the type of plan that applies to your business, and a questionnaire that auto-generates a written plan for your workplace. At the end of the process, a customized written plan is delivered via email with further instructions for refinement and implementation.
By creating an IIPP for your specific workplace, you are showing good-faith compliance with requirements dictated under the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) and various state OSHA plans that mandate written injury & illness prevention plans.
