Workplace Injuries Plunge After Enforcement, Culture Shift

A strategic shift in safety culture, a decline in Covid-19-related respiratory illnesses, and OSHA’s focus on high-hazard sectors led to a more-than-two-decade low in workplace injury and illnesses, attorneys say.

US workplaces saw fewer nonfatal workplace injuries in 2024 than in 2023, according to the most recent data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were 2.5 million nonfatal injuries in 2024, down about 3% from 2023 and the lowest number reported since 2003, according to the BLS.

A stronger federal response to evolving workplace conditions started under the Biden administration contributed to the decline. It’s one of the rare policy areas where the Trump administration has continued Biden’s trajectory, a move that will likely be reinforced by the promising new BLS data.

“When you have a robust system of government, industry, and labor working together you see these numbers go down,” said Douglas Parker, former head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration under the Biden administration.

Workers reported 148,000 illnesses in 2024, a 26% drop from the previous year, which drove the record-breaking decrease. Workers also reported 54,000 respiratory illnesses in 2024, the lowest since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

BLS tracks illnesses contracted at work and workplace injuries. In recent years, employers have adopted a multi-layered approach to workplace safety by focusing on reducing infectious disease transmission, facilitating remote or hybrid work environments, enhancing ventilation systems, and introducing automation where they see fit to reduce workers exposure to high risk tasks.

OSHA is set this year to keep inspecting high-hazard industries like construction, manufacturing, and warehousing after seeing results from enforcement efforts.

The agency issued more than 3,600 violations to employers for failing to properly guard machines and provide personal protective equipment for workers in fiscal year 2024. Both remain some of the most frequently cited standards, according to the agency’s own data.

This data set is the first of two yearly releases from the BLS covering workplace safety statistics. The release of this data typically comes in December, but the federal government shutdown delayed the release of both datasets. The release of workplace fatality data is now expected in February.

Focused Enforcement, Culture Shift

No industry had an increased rate of injury in 2024, according to the BLS data. Similarly to the Biden administration, the workplace safety agency under Trump has indicated it plans to continue this targeted approach for its enforcement as it looks to rein in and reduce workplace injuries for high-risk industries and hazards.

The BLS data legitimizes those enforcement initiatives taken by OSHA to reduce injuries, so employers should expect the agency to keep it up, attorneys say.

Key measures employers have adopted in their workplace safety culture in recent years in a shift from the previous decade include enhanced ventilation systems, implementing flexible sick leave policies, and adopting a more hybrid work model.

“Employers have recognized the costs associated with workplace illnesses, so they’ve focused their attention on ensuring their environments are as safe as possible,” said Jill M. Lashay, a shareholder of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC who counsels employers on OSHA, said.

Notably, health care and manufacturing—two industries that have witnessed increased regulatory attention both at the state and federal level as a result of their high rates of injury—saw a decrease in minor and major injuries that require medical treatment or days away from work.

The agency in recent years focused its attention on targeting specific hazardous industries and workplace hazards, such as manufacturing, heat, and Covid-19 through its national emphasis programs.

NEPs focus its enforcement efforts on specific hazards or industries where there’s a high risk of worker injuries. While NEPs aren’t new, the Biden administration first established targeted enforcement initiatives to combat heat and Covid-19 in the workplace.

It’s a stark contrast to the agency simply carrying out an unprogrammed inspection—which is usually triggered by a specific report of a hazardous condition. NEPs allow the agency to focus its enforcement on specific high-hazard industries and sectors using a data-driven approach.

Inspections under an NEP can be conducted without warning as well. For example, the agency conducted about 7,000 targeted inspections to combat heat and issued 60 for that NEP between April 2022 and December 2024.

NEPs have played an important role in informing employers about what areas they should focus on to keep workers safe, according to Lashay.

Injury Reduction From Automaton

Advancements in technology have also assisted in significantly reducing workplace injuries as employers transition from reactive safety measures to a more proactive approach.

Notably, automation and robotics have been deployed by employers in high-risk industries such as manufacturing and warehousing to reduce lifting heavy materials that can result in injury.

Overexertion, repetitive motion, and bodily conditions contributed to the highest number, about 946,000 cases, of days away from work, restricted or transferred—also known as DART cases, according to the BLS data.

“There are manufacturing sites, warehousing, and other sites—where robotic systems are taking over functions that human beings performed,” said Courtney M. Malveaux, a partner at McGuireWoods and former Virginia labor commissioner.

“The more those robotic systems are taking the place or augmenting human functions, humans will experience fewer exposures to hazards,” he said.