The rate at which construction workers got injured or became sick on the job decreased in 2023, though the raw number of injuries on jobsites increased, according to new data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Nov. 8.
Construction recorded 2.3 nonfatal occupational injuries or illnesses per 100 full-time equivalent workers last year, per the BLS, a drop from 2.4 in 2022. Seven out of 19 measured industries had higher incidence rates, and construction’s rate fell just below the total average for all U.S. industries of 2.4.
The raw number of nonfatal injuries and illnesses, however, increased 2.1%, from 169,600 to 173,200, per the BLS. Five industries counted more injuries and illnesses in 2023 than construction.
All told, the private construction industry accounted for 6.7% of total recordable nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in 2023, up from 6.0% in 2022.
Construction workplace injury rate has declined steadily since 2011
Nonfatal injury and illness incident rate per 100 equivalent full-time workers according to self-reported data by private U.S. employers.
But the nonfatal injury rate has dropped in the last decade, according to Amber Trueblood, data center director for Silver Spring, Maryland-based CPWR — The Center for Construction Research and Training. Last year’s nonfatal total recordable case rate was 41% lower than it was in 2011, making it the lowest it’s ever been in that time period, Trueblood said.
Nonetheless, the data does have flaws, Trueblood said. It is self-reported by approximately 233,000 employers, Trueblood said, and excludes self-employed workers, workers on farms with fewer than 10 employees, volunteers and federal government workers.
The numbers don’t represent a consensus, but rather an estimate to help monitor health and safety, she said.
Chris Trahain Cain, executive director for CPWR, said she is optimistic but called for more work to be done.
“While it’s important to keep the limitations of the recordable injury rate in mind, it’s encouraging to see this year’s decline, especially since the rate is the lowest it’s been in a dozen years,” Cain said. “The rate is still too high, especially since there are proven methods for dramatically reducing injuries on construction jobsites.”
The report also only measures nonfatal injuries. The BLS will release data on industry fatalities in 2023 on Dec. 19.