What is the percentage of workplace injuries? (2024)

Workplace injury rates can differ by country, industry, and type of injury. Here are the latest statistics from 2023 and 2024 for workplace injuries in the U.S. and the UK:

In Great Britain (2023/2024):

• Approximately 561,000 workers reported non-fatal injuries at work, according to the Labour Force Survey (LFS). This gives an injury rate of 1,750 per 100,000 workers. or 1.75%
• Employers reported 60,645 injuries under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations). The most common injuries were slips, trips, and falls, making up 32% of non-fatal injury reports​ ^{(1)​ (2).}

In the U.S. (2022 data):

• There were 2.8 million non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses in private industry, with an injury rate of 2.7%. Of these, 1.2 million resulted in time off work​ ⁽³⁾.
• The leading causes of injuries were overexertion and bodily reaction, followed by contact with objects and falls ​⁽⁴⁾.

These statistics show that even with safety improvements, workplace injuries are still quite common, affecting a significant number of workers each year.

The table below highlights the incident rate per year since 2002 in the US according to the NSC (5)

How to calculate an incident rate?

To calculate the incident rate for workplace injuries and illnesses, you can use the following formula:

Incident Rate = ( Number of injuries and illnesses × 200,000 ) / Total hours worked by all employees during the year

In this formula, the factor of 200,000 represents the base hours worked by 100 employees, each working 40 hours per week for 50 weeks (i.e., 100 employees × 40 hours/week × 50 weeks/year). This standardizes the incident rate per 100 full-time workers, making it easier to compare across different industries or companies

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