Employers reported 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2022. That’s a 7% year-over-year increase from 2021, according to data released this month from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Injuries in 2022 rose by 4.5% to 2.3 million cases, whereas illnesses increased by 26.1% to 460,700 cases, the BLS said. More than half of the cases resulting in days away from work (308,500 cases) occurred in the healthcare and social assistance industry sector.
Most of the illnesses reported in 2022 came from respiratory in nature, up 35.4% year over year, to 365,000 cases. This change comes after a decrease in respiratory illnesses in 2021 compared with 2020.
The number of respiratory illnesses in the private healthcare and social assistance sector increased from 145,300 in 2021 to 199,700 cases in 2022. That’s an increase of 37.5%.
In 2022, the rate of injury cases overall remained unchanged from the previous year, with 2.3 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers.
