National COSH on U.S. Workplace Deaths in 2023

Leaders of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) said that the high toll of workplace fatalities – more than 5,200 deaths in 2023 – can be reduced or eliminated through common-sense preventive measures.

A union contract, with negotiated and enforceable safety protections, is a tested and successful way to reduce workplace injuries and fatalities. In non-union workplaces, a joint workplace safety committee can also be effective, if workers are empowered with real decision-making authority.

The 2023 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), shows 5,283 deaths from sudden workplace trauma in 2023, a decrease from over 5,400 fatalities in 2023.

The rate of deaths from sudden workplace trauma was 3.5 deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2023. For Black workers, BLS data show 3.6 deaths per 100,000 workers, while the rate for Hispanic or Latino workers stands at 4.4 deaths per 100,000 workers. Immigrant workers suffered more than 800 deaths on the job in 2023, accounting for two-thirds of the fatalities among Hispanic or Latino workers.

The CFOI, a nationwide count of workers who die after workplace injuries, accounts for deaths from sudden, traumatic events, such as a fall from a height, a collision with machinery, and other preventable workplace incidents. A far greater number of workers, estimated at 95,000 per year in the United States, die from diseases caused by long-term exposure to toxic chemicals and other preventable occupational hazards.

Not all deaths from occupational exposures are properly recorded. A recent investigation by the Tampa Bay Times found that more than half of the deaths from extreme heat in Florida during the past decade were never reported to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as required by law.

For more information, visit https://nationalcosh.org.