Chart 1. Incidence rate of total recordable cases, private 

industry, 2010-19 

Chart 2. Incidence rate of days away from work cases and job 

transfer or restriction only cases, private industry, 2010-19

For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Wednesday, November 4, 2020 USDL-20-2030 

Technical information: (202) 691-6170 • IIFSTAFF@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/iif 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 • PressOffice@bls.gov

EMPLOYER-REPORTED WORKPLACE INJURIES AND ILLNESSES – 2019

Private industry employers reported 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2019, 

unchanged from 2018, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. These estimates are from the 

Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII). 

In 2019, the incidence rate of total recordable cases (TRC) in private industry was 2.8 cases per 100 fulltime equivalent (FTE) workers, which was the rate reported in 2018 and 2017. (See chart 1.) The 

incidence rate of days away from work (DAFW) cases was 0.9 cases per 100 FTE workers and the 

incidence rate of days of job transfer and restriction only (DJTR) cases was 0.7 cases per 100 FTE 

workers, which were the rates reported in 2018. (See chart 2.)

There were 888,220 nonfatal injuries and illnesses that caused a private industry worker to miss at least 

one day of work in 2019, essentially unchanged from 2018. 

Changes in Industry and Occupation Classification Structure

Information in this release incorporates revisions to both the North American Industry Classification 

System (NAICS) and the Standard Occupational Classification codes (SOC). Comparison of SOII 

estimates for 2019 to prior years should be done with caution due to these changes. More 

information on NAICS can be found at www.bls.gov/bls/naics.htm. More information on SOC can 

be found at www.bls.gov/soc/2018/home.htm.

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Incidence rate per 100 FTE workers

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Incidence rate per 100 FTE workers

Days Away From Work Days of Job Transfer or Restriction Only
2 

Industry

Manufacturing accounted for 15.0 percent of all private industry nonfatal injuries and illnesses in 2019 

and was the only private industry sector where the TRC rate had a statistically significant change over 

the year. The rate decreased from 3.4 in 2018 to 3.3 cases per 100 FTE workers in 2019. (See table 1.) 

The number of nonfatal cases was 421,400, essentially unchanged from 2018. (See table 2.) 

Injuries and illnesses to manufacturing workers resulted in 32,470 DAFW cases of sprains, strains, or 

tears (28.0 percent); 16,790 cases of soreness or pain (14.5 percent); and 15,380 cases involving cuts, 

lacerations, or punctures (13.3 percent). (See table 3.) 

TRC rates decreased for several manufacturing industry groups. The rate for motor vehicle body and 

trailer manufacturing decreased from 7.2 cases in 2018 to 6.3 cases per 100 FTE workers in 2019. (See 

chart 3.) Spring and wire product manufacturing was the only industry group with an increase in its TRC 

rate in 2019. The TRC rate increased from 3.9 cases in 2018 to 5.4 cases per 100 FTE workers in 2019. 

Chart 3. Incidence rates for total recordable cases in selected private manufacturing industries, 2018-19

Nonfatal occupational injury and illness estimates by industry and case type are available at 

www.bls.gov/web/osh/summ1_00.htm and www.bls.gov/web/osh/summ2_00.htm. 

Occupation

Ten occupations accounted for 33.2 percent of all private industry cases involving days away from work 

in both 2018 and 2019. (See table 4.) Of these, laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand 

had the highest number of DAFW cases with 64,160; followed by heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

with 47,990. The incidence rates involving DAFW for these 10 occupations increased over the year.

(See chart 4.) 

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

Household appliance

manufacturing

Clay product and

refractory manufacturing

Machine shops; turned

product; and screw, nut,

and bolt manufacturing

Animal slaughtering and

processing

Motor vehicle body and

trailer manufacturing

Incidence rates per 100 FTE workers

2018 2019
3 

The median number of days away from work in private industry in 2019 was 8 days, the same as 2018. 

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers had a median number of DAFW of 19 days, down from 23 days 

in 2018. Light truck drivers had a median of 20 days, an increase of 4 days from 2018. The median days 

for maintenance and repair workers, general; and laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand 

increased to 12 days in 2019 from 10 days in 2018. 

Chart 4. Incidence rates of cases involving days away from work for selected occupations in private industry, 2018-19

Additional Highlights

Within private industry, the rate of total recordable cases of nonfatal injuries and illnesses in the

retail trade sector was essentially unchanged from a year ago. In 2018, the rate increased to 3.5

cases from 3.3 cases per 100 FTE workers in 2017. (See table 1.)

Private industry workers age 65 years or over had a median of 16 days away from work due to

injuries and illnesses in 2019, compared to 8 days for all private industry workers.

Private industry workers with sprains, strains, or tears resulting in days away from work visited

medical treatment facilities at a rate of 6.5 cases per 10,000 FTE workers in 2019, down from 7.3

cases in 2018. Medical treatment facilities include emergency room visits and/or in-patient

hospitalization.

Within private industry, the DAFW incidence rate for men decreased from 94.3 in 2018 to 91.7

cases in 2019 and the rate for women decreased from 83.4 in 2018 to 80.4 cases per 10,000 FTE

workers in 2019.

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

Retail salespersons

Registered nurses

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

Stockers and order fillers

Maintenance and repair workers, general

Construction laborers

Light truck drivers

Laborers and freight, stock and material movers, hand

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

Nursing assistants

Incidence rates per 10,000 FTE workers

2018 2019
4 

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Impact on the Survey of Occupational Injuries and 

Illnesses 

Estimates in this news release are for reference year 2019. No changes in estimation procedures or 

outputs were necessary due to COVID-19. Additional information is available at 

www.bls.gov/covid19/effects-of-covid-19-on-workplace-injuries-and-illnesses-compensation-andoccupational-requirements.htm. 

Additional Information 

This news release is the first of two releases from BLS covering occupational safety and health statistics 

for the 2019 calendar year. The SOII presents estimates of counts and incidence rates of employerreported nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses by industry and type of case, as well as detailed 

estimates of case circumstances and worker characteristics for cases that resulted in days away from 

work. A second release on December 16, 2020, will provide results from the Census of Fatal 

Occupational Injuries (CFOI) of all fatal work injuries occurring in the U.S. during the calendar year. 

Data and analysis in this release highlight case circumstances and worker characteristics for nonfatal 

injuries and illnesses that resulted in days away from work. Incidence rates for days away from work 

cases are published per 10,000 full-time employees. Incidence rates per 10,000 workers can be 

converted to rates per 100 workers by moving the decimal point left, two places, and rounding the 

resulting rate to the nearest tenth. Data users are cautioned to account for different levels of precision 

when analyzing estimates presented in this release.

BLS has generated estimates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses for many industries as 

defined in the 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) manual. Tables including 

cross-tabulations for various case circumstances and worker characteristics are available at 

www.bls.gov/web/osh.supp.toc.htm. For additional information on nonfatal injury and illness estimates, 

see www.bls.gov/iif/soii-overview.htm. 

The SOII bases definitions for emergency room and hospital visits on Occupational Safety and Health 

Administration (OSHA) Regulations. (See www.osha.gov/lawsregs/regulations/standardnumber/1904/1904.39 for additional information.) 

All statements of comparison made in this news release are statistically significant at the 95 percent 

confidence level. Additional background and methodological information regarding the BLS 

occupational safety and health statistics program is located in the BLS Handbook of Methods at 

www.bls.gov/opub/hom/soii/home.htm. 

Additional data from the SOII are available on the BLS website at www.bls.gov/iif, from BLS staff at 

(202) 691-6170, or by email at IIFSTAFF@bls.gov. Information in this release is available to sensory

impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-

8339.
TABLE 1. Incidence rates of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by selected industry and case types, private industry, 2018-19

2018 2019 2018 2019

Private industry(4) 2.8 2.8 0.9 0.9

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting(4) 5.3 5.2 1.7 1.7

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction(5) 1.4 1.2 0.6 0.5

Utilities 1.9 2.2 0.7 0.7

Construction 3.0 2.8 1.2 1.1

Manufacturing 3.4 3.3 0.9 0.9

Wholesale trade 2.9 2.7 1.0 1.0

Retail trade 3.5 3.4 1.1 1.0

Transportation and warehousing (6) 4.5 4.4 2.1 2.0

Information 1.3 1.2 0.6 0.5

Finance and insurance 0.5 0.5 0.1 0.1

Real estate and rental and leasing 2.3 2.3 0.8 0.7

Professional, scientific, and technical services 0.8 0.8 0.2 0.2

Management of companies and enterprises 0.8 0.7 0.2 0.2

Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services 2.3 – 0.9 –

Educational services 1.9 2.0 0.6 0.6

Health care and social assistance 3.9 3.8 1.1 1.0

Arts, entertainment, and recreation 4.1 4.0 1.1 1.1

Accommodation and food services 3.1 3.2 0.9 0.9

Other services (except public administration) 2.2 2.0 0.8 0.7

Footnotes:

(3) Days-away-from-work cases include those that result in days away from work with or without job transfer or restriction.

(4) Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees.

(6) Data for employers in rail transportation are provided to BLS by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

Note: Dash indicates data do not meet publication guidelines, data may be too small to be displayed.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, in cooperation with participating state 

agencies.

(1) Data are coded using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). For more information on the version of NAICS used in this year, 

see our Handbook of Methods concepts page: https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/soii/concepts.htm.

Total recordable cases (2) Cases with days away 

from work(2),(3)

(2) The incidence rates represent the number of injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers and were calculated as:

(N/EH) x 200,000, where N = number of injuries and illnesses; EH = total hours worked by all employees during the calendar year; 200,000 = base for 

100 equivalent full-time workers (working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year).

(5) Data for Mining (Sector 21 in the North American Industry Classification System) include establishments not governed by the Mine Safety and 

Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as those in oil and gas extraction and related support activities. Data for mining operators in 

coal, metal, and nonmetal mining are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. Independent mining 

contractors are excluded from the coal, metal, and nonmetal mining industries. These data do not reflect changes the Occupational Safety and 

Health Administration made to its recordkeeping requirements effective January 1, 2002; therefore, estimates for these industries are not 

comparable to estimates of other industries.

Industry (1)

5
2018 2019 2018 2019

Private industry(3) 2,834.5 2,814.0 900.4 888.2

Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting(3) 54.4 50.9 17.4 17.0

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction(4) 9.8 9.4 4.1 4.2

Utilities 10.6 12.0 3.6 3.7

Construction 199.1 200.1 77.5 79.7

Manufacturing 430.3 421.4 118.6 116.1

Wholesale trade 160.8 153.6 56.2 55.5

Retail trade 409.9 395.7 126.9 120.2

Transportation and warehousing(5) 221.4 227.9 103.6 103.6

Information 33.3 31.6 15.6 13.0

Finance and insurance 28.5 26.1 7.1 7.5

Real estate and rental and leasing 46.1 46.2 16.0 14.9

Professional, scientific, and technical services 70.5 72.8 16.3 17.2

Management of companies and enterprises 17.5 16.9 4.7 4.7

Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services 118.6 – 46.5 –

Educational services 36.9 38.6 11.6 12.1

Health care and social assistance 577.4 575.2 155.6 151.4

Arts, entertainment, and recreation 57.9 56.4 16.0 15.3

Accommodation and food services 278.5 288.7 77.8 82.9

Other services (except public administration) 72.8 64.6 25.5 21.8

Footnotes:

(5) Data for employers in rail transportation are provided to BLS by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.

Note: Dash indicates data do not meet publication guidelines, data may be too small to be displayed.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, in cooperation with participating 

state agencies.

(1) Data are coded using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). For more information on the version of NAICS used in this 

year, see our Handbook of Methods concepts page: https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/soii/concepts.htm.

TABLE 2. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses by selected industry and case types, private industry, 2018-19 (thousands)

Total recordable cases Cases with days away 

from work(2) Industry (1)

(2) Days-away-from-work cases include those that result in days away from work with or without job transfer or restriction.

(3) Excludes farms with fewer than 11 employees.

(4) Data for Mining (Sector 21 in the North American Industry Classification System) include establishments not governed by the

 Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) rules and reporting, such as those in oil and gas extraction and related support

 activities. Data for mining operators in coal, metal, and nonmetal mining are provided to BLS by the Mine Safety and Health

 Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. Independent mining contractors are excluded from the coal, metal, and nonmetal mining

 industries. These data do not reflect changes the Occupational Safety and Health Administration made to its recordkeeping requirements

 effective January 1, 2002; therefore, estimates for these industries are not comparable to estimates of other industries.

6
2018 2019 2018 2019

Total (2) 900,380 888,220 118,580 116,070

Nature of injury or illness (3) 

 Sprains, strains, tears 308,630 295,180 34,270 32,470

 Soreness, pain 159,600 157,440 15,950 16,790

 Bruises, contusions 79,250 80,640 8,870 9,050

 Cuts, lacerations, punctures 92,840 89,730 14,860 15,380

 Fractures 79,470 85,710 13,210 13,400

Footnotes:

(2) Days-away-from-work cases include those that result in days away from work with or without job transfer or restriction.

(3) Based on the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System 2.01 developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 

 

Private industry Manufacturing (1)

(1) Data are coded using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). For more information on the version 

of NAICS used in this year, see our Handbook of Methods concepts page: 

https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/soii/concepts.htm.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Survey of Occupational Injuries and 

Illnesses, in cooperation with participating state agencies.

TABLE 3. Number of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work by selected 

nature of injury or illness, private industry manufacturing sector, 2018-19

Characteristic

7
2018 2019 2018 2019

Manufacturing 3.4 3.3 430,300 421,400

Household appliance manufacturing 2.8 2.2 1,700 1,300

Clay product and refractory manufacturing 4.5 2.8 1,800 1,100

Machine shops; turned product; and screw, nut, and bolt manufacturing 3.9 3.2 13,800 11,700

Animal slaughtering and processing 4.3 4.0 23,500 22,100

Motor vehicle body and trailer manufacturing 7.2 6.3 11,900 10,200

Footnotes:

TABLE 3A. Number and incidence rates for total recordable cases of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in selected private 

manufacturing industries, 2018-19

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, in cooperation with 

participating state agencies.

Industry(1) Rate(2) Number

(2) The incidence rates represent the number of injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers and were calculated as:

(N/EH) x 200,000, where N = number of injuries and illnesses; EH = total hours worked by all employees during the calendar year;

 200,000 = base for 100 equivalent full-time workers (working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year).

(1) Data are coded using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). For more information on the version

 of NAICS used in this year, see our Handbook of Methods concepts page: https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/soii/concepts.htm.

8
Number Rate(2) Median 

DAFW

Number Rate(2) Median 

DAFW

Laborers and freight, stock and material movers, hand 66,300 252.1 10 64,160 275.5 12

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers 48,050 249.4 23 47,990 280.0 19

Nursing assistants 29,490 255.7 6 27,590 283.5 6

Stockers and order fillers 25,100 146.8 11 27,390 176.3 10

Retail salespersons 26,670 72.1 7 24,870 80.2 8

Light truck drivers 22,270 226.8 16 23,070 270.1 20

Maintenance and repair workers, general 21,130 182.5 10 21,490 204.6 12

Registered nurses 20,040 88.4 7 20,150 102.1 8

Construction laborers 20,430 209.3 10 19,790 231.0 11

Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners 19,090 137.1 8 18,680 157.4 10

Footnotes:

TABLE 4. Number, incidence rates, and median days for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work (DAFW), selected 

occupations, private industry, 2018-19

2018 2019

(1) Data are coded using the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC). For more information on the version of SOC used in this year, see our Handbook of 

Methods concepts page: https://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/soii/concepts.htm.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, in cooperation with participating state agencies.

(2) The incidence rates represent the number of injuries and illnesses per 10,000 full-time workers and were calculated as

(N/EH) x 20,000,000, where N = number of injuries and illnesses, 

EH = total hours worked by all employees during the calendar year, 

20,000,000 = base for 10,000 equivalent full-time workers (working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year). 

Occupation (1)

9