Workplace injury and illness data play a central role in how laboratory leaders assess safety performance, staffing risk, and compliance priorities. Newly released Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) injury and illness data show that nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses declined again in 2024, continuing a multi-year downward trend across the US private industry. For lab managers overseeing occupational health programs, incident reporting, and workforce continuity, the findings offer updated benchmarks while underscoring areas where risk persists.
The BLS injury and illness data come from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, an annual program that collects employer-reported information on work-related injuries, illnesses, and associated outcomes. The survey tracks total recordable incidents, injury and illness rates, and cases involving days away from work, job restriction, or transfer, often referred to as DART cases.
What the latest BLS injury and illness data shows
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, US private industry employers reported an estimated 2.5 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2024. This represents a decline of approximately 3.1 percent compared with 2023 totals.
The overall reduction was driven primarily by decreases in reported illnesses rather than injuries. Illness cases fell by about 26 percent year over year, while respiratory illnesses declined by roughly 46 percent. The agency reported 148,000 illness cases and 54,000 respiratory illness cases in 2024, both the lowest counts recorded since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Changes in recordable incident and workplace illness rates
The total recordable incident rate for private industry declined to 2.3 cases per 100 full-time equivalent employees in 2024, down slightly from 2.4 the year before. Injury rates remained unchanged at 2.2 injuries per 100 full-time equivalent employees.
Workplace illness rates showed a more significant shift. The illness incident rate dropped to 13.9 cases per 10,000 full-time equivalent employees, down from 19 in 2023. Respiratory illness rates also declined sharply, falling to 5.1 cases per 10,000 full-time equivalent employees from 9.5 the previous year.
No major industry sector experienced an increase in incident rates. Five sectors reported decreases, including health care and social assistance, which recorded 3.4 cases per 100 full-time equivalent employees in 2024, down from 3.6 in 2023.
What continues to drive DART cases
Despite overall declines in nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses, cases involving days away from work, job restriction, or transfer remain a significant operational concern. For the combined 2023–2024 period, the leading cause of DART cases was overexertion, repetitive motion, and related bodily conditions, accounting for approximately 946,000 cases. Contact-related incidents followed closely, linked to about 860,000 cases.
The median time away from work for DART cases during this period was eight days. For cases involving job restriction or transfer, the median duration increased to 15 days. Overall, approximately 61.5 percent of DART cases involved time away from work rather than modified duties alone.
Why the BLS injury and illness data matter for lab managers
For laboratory operations, the latest BLS injury and illness data offers both reassurance and caution when safety planning. Declining workplace illness rates, particularly for respiratory conditions, suggest that infection control measures, ventilation improvements, and hygiene protocols remain effective across many work environments.
At the same time, the persistence of overexertion and repetitive-motion injuries highlights the ongoing ergonomic risks in laboratory settings. Manual material handling, repetitive pipetting, prolonged standing at benches, and equipment maintenance tasks continue to pose challenges that can lead to lost work time and staffing disruptions.
Lab managers can use the updated BLS injury and illness data to reassess ergonomic risk assessments, training frequency, and incident reporting practices. The findings also support continued investment in ergonomic tools, task rotation, and early reporting programs to reduce DART cases and maintain operational stability in high-skill laboratory environments.
This article was created with the assistance of Generative AI and has undergone editorial review before publishing.
