(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – The 2024 edition of Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect marks the 33rd year the National AFL-CIO has produced a report on the state of safety and health protections for America’s Workers.

The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act, promising every Worker the right to a safe job, has been in effect for more than 50 years and nearly 690,000 Workers now can say their lives have been saved since the passage of the OSH Act. 

Over the past 50 years, there has been significant progress toward improving working conditions and protecting Workers from job injuries, illnesses and deaths.

Federal Job Safety Agencies have issued many important regulations on safety hazards and health hazards like silica and coal dust, strengthened enforcement and expanded Worker Rights.

These initiatives undoubtedly have made workplaces safer and saved lives, but much more progress is needed. 

However, the latest National AFL-CIO report found that in 2022: 344 Workers died each day from hazardous working conditions; 5,486 Workers were killed on the job in the United States; An estimated 120,000 Workers died from occupational diseases; and The job fatality rate increased again to 3.7 per 100,000 Workers. 

In addition, the report found: Workers of Color die on the job at a higher rate - Black and Latino worker job fatality rates are disproportionate compared with all other Workers and are continuing to increase; Employers reported nearly 3.5 million work-related injuries and illnesses, an increase from the previous year; 43 workers died from heat on the job - fatal and non-fatal data are an undercount of the real problem; Workplace homicides and workplace suicides increased 9% and 13%, respectively, from 2021 to 2022; Separately, unintentional overdoses at work increased 13% from 2021 to 2022; The rate of serious workplace violence injuries has increased to 4.3 per 10,000 Workers; Musculoskeletal disorders from repetitive motion injuries continue to be a major problem, accounting for 28% of all serious work-related injuries and illnesses in private industry; Underreporting of all workplace injuries and illnesses is widespread - the true toll of work-related injuries and illnesses is 5.6 million to 8.4 million each year in private industry; and Chemical exposures continue to plague Working People, leading to debilitating, life-threatening diseases that are totally preventable.

The report also found that the cost of job injuries and illnesses is enormous, estimated at $174 billion to $348 billion a year - an undercount of the real impact on society, families and communities. 

For More On This Labor News Story, Go To: Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect, 2024 | AFL-CIO (aflcio.org)