Fatalities Increase, Fewer Workplace Injuries in 2024

OSHA’s 2024 injury and illness data provides a snapshot of the number of employees injured on the job in recent years.

Connecticut experienced a jump in fatal incidents in 2024, while overall injuries declined.

What’s Being Reported?

OSHA collects injury and illness data from certain establishments that meet specific size and industry requirements through its Injury Tracking Application.

Since 2016, many employers have been required to submit summary data from OSHA Form 300A.

Starting in 2024, some were also required to include case-specific data from Forms 300 and 301, providing a more detailed view of workplace incidents.

Workplace Fatalities

According to OSHA, seven workplace fatalities were reported in Connecticut last year, more than double the three deaths in 2023, but slightly down from eight in 2022.

Breakdown by sector:

• Administrative and support/waste management: three fatalities
• Construction: one fatality
• Healthcare and social assistance: one fatality
• Transportation and warehousing: two fatalities

These numbers are sobering reminders that safety programs and hazard awareness are just as critical now as they have ever been.

Injuries

While the total number of workplace injuries decreased in Connecticut, the amount of time workers are spending out of work has barely budged—and the average recovery time per case is going up.

In 2024, 4,989 Connecticut businesses reported 21,120 workplace injuries—a 6.54% decrease from the 22,597 injuries recorded in 2023.

That’s good news. The number of cases involving days away from work also declined by 10.29%, from 10,849 to 9,733.

The positive trend ends when you look at the total days away from work:

• 2023: 357,654 days
• 2024: 357,217 days

Despite fewer injuries and fewer cases involving time off, the total days out of work remained nearly the same.

Despite fewer injuries and fewer cases involving time off, the total days out of work remained nearly the same. In fact, the average number of days away from work per case increased from 32.96 days in 2023 to 36.7 days in 2024.

That raises an important question: Why are workers spending more time out of work despite fewer injuries overall? Are the injuries more severe? Are employees slower to recover?

The data doesn’t tell us, but it does highlight a trend worth watching.

Which Sectors Are Seeing the Most Injuries?

Five sectors accounted for more than 75% of all reported workplace injuries in Connecticut in 2024:

• Health Care and Social Assistance: 26.6%
• Transportation and Warehousing: 15.6%
• Manufacturing: 12.7%
• Retail Trade: 11.3%
• Public Administration: 9.1%

The Health Care and Social Assistance sector not only had the highest total injuries—it also had the highest injury rate per business, highlighting a significant concentration of risk in that industry.

2024 Connecticut Work-Related Injuries

Industry	Businesses	Injuries Reported	Fatalities
Accommodation and Food Services	273	574	0
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	247	587	3
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting	20	92	0
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation	69	78	0
Construction	332	719	1
Educational Services	246	1,176	0
Finance and Insurance	5	2	0
Health Care and Social Assistance	669	5,621	1
Information	67	79	0
Management of Companies and Enterprises	14	10	0
Manufacturing	692	2,678	0
Other Services	135	640	0
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	44	117	0
Public Administration	492	1,927	0
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing	58	82	0
Retail Trade	703	2,376	0
Transportation and Warehousing	466	3,303	2
Unknown	4	0	0
Utilities	105	176	0
Wholesale Trade	348	883	0
Totals:	4,989	21,120	7

Need to Review Your Reporting Obligations?

If your business meets OSHA’s reporting thresholds, you’re required to use the ITA to submit injury and illness data annually.

Now, with some businesses submitting case-specific Form 300 and 301 data, transparency and accuracy are even more important.

Check out OSHA’s Injury Tracking application provides answers support with the process. Employers can also submit inquiries through the ITA Help Request Form. 

Use Data to Drive Safety

Fewer injuries is a win of our state—but don’t get too comfortable.

Longer recovery times might mean more serious incidents or different challenges in returning to work.

Whatever the case, the data tells a story—and it’s up to all of us to read between the lines. 

Longer recovery times might mean more serious incidents or different challenges in returning to work.

If you’re in the top five sectors listed above, now might be a good time to revisit your safety programs and ask yourself, are we doing enough?

At its core, safety should be a top priority for every employer. It certainly is for us here at CBIA.

We will be discussing ways to use this data to drive performance and how to implement safety and health initiatives at our 2025 Safety & Health Conference May 21.

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For more information, contact CBIA’s Delmarina López (860.244.1982).