Falls accounted for 844 workplace deaths in 2024, including 666 falls to a lower level, according to a National Safety Council analysis released Thursday that examined injury and fatality events tied to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s most frequently cited safety standards.
The council’s report draws on Bureau of Labor Statistics data to examine hazards associated with the OSHA’s top 10 cited standards. Four standards on the list address fall-related hazards: general fall protection requirements, scaffolding, ladders and fall protection training.
Incidents involving workers struck by or caught in running equipment, associated with machine guarding requirements, accounted for 213 deaths in 2024 and 84,950 cases involving days away from work, restricted duty or job transfers in 2023-2024, according to the council.
Powered forklifts, order pickers and platform trucks accounted for 84 deaths and 25,110 such cases over the respective periods. Chemicals were the primary injury source in 50 deaths and 29,380 cases involving days away, restrictions or transfers.
The analysis also identified 65,300 reportable respiratory illness cases in 2024 and 95,490 eye and face injury cases involving days away, restricted duty or transfers in 2023-2024.
Beyond hazards associated with OSHA’s most frequently cited standards, transportation incidents accounted for 1,937 workplace deaths in 2024. Those included 1,146 roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles and 369 pedestrian vehicular incidents.
Workplace violence accounted for another 733 deaths, including 470 homicides and 263 suicides, the council said. Overexertion and bodily reaction accounted for 946,290 cases involving days away, restricted duty or transfers in 2023-2024.
The council urged employers to use the findings to identify recurring hazards and strengthen prevention efforts.
This article was first published by Business Insurance.
