An official website of the United States government
United States Department of Labor
United States Department of Labor
The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information,
make sure you're on a federal government site.
The site is secure.
The
https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any
information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.
Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities
SHARE ON:
Health care and social assistance, 2016-2020
Background
The health care and social assistance sector is comprised of establishments providing medical care as well as wellness and social services to individuals.
As of 2020, there was an average of 19,550,905 people employed in the private sector of this industry in 1,746,923 establishments.
Nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses
In the private health care and social assistance industry during 2020, there were 806,200 total recordable cases (TRC) of nonfatal injuries and illnesses. Of those, 447,900 had days away from work (DAFW), 91,300 had days of job transfer or restriction (DJTR), and 267,000 had other recordable cases (ORC). The total recordable case incidence rate per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers was 5.5.
| Case characteristic[1] | Number of cases |
|---|---|
Nature of injury or illness | |
Sprains, strains, tears | 65,120 |
Soreness, pain | 38,410 |
Bruises, contusions | 14,010 |
Fractures | 9,860 |
Multiple traumatic injuries with sprains | 3,420 |
Part of body affected | |
Body systems | 293,940 |
Back | 34,660 |
Multiple body parts | 20,620 |
Knee | 13,790 |
Shoulder | 13,780 |
Event or exposure leading to injury or illness | |
Exposure to harmful substances or environments | 296,470 |
Fall on same level | 33,330 |
Overexertion in lifting or lowering | 15,430 |
Intentional injury by other person | 15,210 |
Struck by object or equipment | 10,340 |
[1] Data shown correspond to Nature, Part, and Event codes based on the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System 2.01 developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses | |
Fatal occupational injuries
Fatal work injuries totaled 128 for the health care and social assistance industry during 2020, compared to 161 during 2019.
| Event or exposure[1][2] | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total fatal injuries (number) | 128 | 159 | 149 | 161 | 128 |
Violence and other injuries by persons or animals | 43 | 48 | 42 | 54 | 34 |
Transportation incidents | 35 | 50 | 50 | 49 | 28 |
Fires and explosions | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Falls, slips, trips | 13 | 23 | 19 | 23 | 21 |
Exposure to harmful substances or environments | 30 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 41 |
Contact with objects and equipment | -- | 5 | -- | -- | -- |
[1] CFOI data by event are only provided if there are fatal case counts in three or more of the six event categories. [2] Data shown correspond to Event codes based on the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System 2.01 developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Note: Dashes indicate data do not meet BLS publication guidelines. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries | |||||
Sources
Employment data come from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program. Injury and illness information come from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) and Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). For more information on SOII program concepts, see the definitions page and the SOII Handbook of Methods. For more information on CFOI program concepts, see the definitions page and the CFOI Handbook of Methods.
Last Modified Date: February 11, 2022