U.S. WORKPLACE DEATHS rise AFTER PANDEMIC DROP
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Black, Latino and teen workers all see recent increases in workplace death rates
by TERRENCE FRASER | March 8, 2023
Every year in the U.S., thousands of deaths occur at the workplace or while performing duties for work. Traffic accidents cause most work-related deaths, but falls at the worksite, and workers’ exposure to toxic substances, heavy machinery and physical violence are also major causes of what the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) refers to as “fatal occupational injuries.”
Data recently released by the BLS shows that the number of fatal occupational injuries increased by nine percent from 2020 to 2021, but declined by 11% the year prior. These changes reflect broader implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the workplace and beyond.
During the first three months of the pandemic, nearly 22 million U.S. jobs were lost. With more people being fired, laid off or working from home, the number of work-related deaths decreased. In 2020, there was an 11% decrease in the number of workplace deaths compared to 2019. In 2019, there were 5,333 work-related deaths overall. In 2020, that number was 4,764—about 570 fewer deaths.
Workers steadily regained jobs during 2020 and 2021. By the end of 2021, the economy had regained nearly 19 million jobs—still not to pre-pandemic levels, but close. Workplace deaths also resurged in 2021 (the last full year the Bureau of Labor Statistics has recorded). In 2021, 5,190 U.S. workers died while on the job, a nine percent increase and nearly 430 deaths more than in 2020, the year before.
The U.S. overall workplace death rate has remained relatively constant over the past decade, even while the number of workplace deaths have increased. That’s because the U.S. workforce was increasing at the same time—the U.S. economy added over 20 million new jobs since 2011. With more employees working and more hours being worked across industries, there have also been more opportunities for fatal workplace incidents to occur.
The overall rate of workplace deaths has fluctuated little over the past decade, ranging from a low of 3.3 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2013 to highs of 3.6 per 100,000 in both 2016 and 2021. (“Full-time equivalent” is used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to standardize measurement based on a 40 hour work week. Someone averaging 20 hours per week counts as 0.5 full time equivalents and someone averaging 60 hours per week counts as 1.5 FTEs).
However, the workplace death rate is not equal across the major racial or ethnic groups tracked by the BLS. Since at least 2012, Latino workers have been the racial or ethnic group most likely to die on the job. In the early and mid 2010s, Latinos’ workplace death rate fluctuated between 3.7 and 4.0 workplace deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees. In 2019, the Latino workplace death rate increased even more, rising to 4.2 deaths per 100,000 FTEs, and then rose again to 4.5 deaths per 100,000 in 2020 before plateauing in 2021.
In 2012, Black and white workers were equally as likely to die at work, with both groups having a death rate of 3.5 deaths per 100,000 FTE employees. Between 2013 and 2017, the workplace death rate among Black workers was somewhat lower than that of white workers—but that gap closed in 2018. In 2021, Black workers experienced a significant spike in workplace deaths, increasing from 3.5 to 4 deaths per 100,000 between 2020 and 2021, the highest death rate among Black workers in the past decade.
In contrast, since 2016, white workers’ workplace death rate has decreased somewhat. From a recent high of 3.7 deaths per 100,000 FTEs in 2016, the workplace death rate among white workers fell to a ten year low in 2020, with 3.3 white workers dying per 100,000 FTE employees. This trajectory has reversed slightly, however, in 2021.
Over the 10 years included in this analysis, Asian workers experienced the lowest rate of workplace deaths of any racial or ethnic groups tracked in BLS data. During this period, Asian workers’ workplace death rate typically fluctuated between 1.6 and 1.9 deaths per 100,000 FTE workers, with a low of 1.4 workplace deaths per 100,000 in 2015 and a high of 2 deaths per 100,000 in 2012.
Recent changes in occupational fatalities by race have coincided with changes in the rates of workplace death by age. In general, older workers have higher workplace mortality rates than younger workers—but the rates among oldest workers have fallen in recent years. Younger workers tend to die at lower rates—but occupational death rates have risen among teens in recent years.
Every year since 2017, the workplace death rate of individuals 65 and older has decreased. In 2017, the workplace death rate among this older age group was 10.3 deaths per 100,000 FTE workers. By 2021, that figure was 8.4 deaths per 100,000, a decline of 23%.
On the flip side, the workplace death rate among 18 and 19 year-olds has increased significantly since 2019. In 2019, workers age 18 and 19 had an occupational fatality rate of 2.1 deaths per 100,000 FTE workers. In 2021, this age group had a death rate of 3.7 deaths per 100,000, which was a 76% increase, and the highest rate for that age group in at least the past five years.
Of course, risk of injury and death is far higher among some occupations than others. Those working in farming, fishing and forestry have a far higher rate of on-the-job deaths than is the case for those working in office and administrative support occupations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all aspects of life. The death toll from the beginning of the pandemic until today is over 1.15 million U.S. lives lost. That’s not to mention the thousands of other deaths not directly caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, but still associated with the pandemic—especially those with serious or chronic health conditions that went untreated as hospitals and other medical facilities became overwhelmed.
Unfortunately, the latest data shows that the comparatively small reprieve in workplace deaths that resulted from the downturn in jobs early in the pandemic has not been sustained. Instead, an increase in workplace deaths has accompanied the return of jobs—and racial disparities in workplace death rates have increased.