The Top 5 Causes for Missed-Work Injuries in the U.S.

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows contact incidents were the leading cause of missed-work injuries in 2023 and 2024. That’s according to BLS data analyzed by the Omega Law Group, which recently published a report on the top five such causes for missed work, in order of total days missed of work by cause.

The worst injury case by this metric were contact incidents, which BLS uses to describe situations where workers are struck by objects or tools or caught in equipment. In total, contact incidents led to 489,270 days off work during the 2023-2024 reporting period. Close behind it were injuries due to overexertion with 484,140 days lost in total due to lifting strain and physical overuse injuries.

Falls, slips, and tripping incidents from ladders, wet floors, and uneven surfaces caused 379,480 days lost of work during the period, while the final two most-serious categories involved exposure to harmful substances and environments (196,530 days) and incidents related to transportation, driving, or roadside work (91,450 days).

Manufacturing, meanwhile, was responsible for a total of 332,600 total injury and illness cases for the time period analyzed, placing third behind retail trade (339,800 incidents) and health care and social assistance (553,800).

In their report analyzing the government data, Omega, a law firm specializing in personal injuries, employment law, and similar cases, said that both leading incidents causing days-away-from-work receive comparatively less attention than chemical spills and collapses.