The 2023 and 2024 rate is the lowest rate recorded since the measurement started in 1973.



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*For immediate release*







Jan. 21, 2026

 





Minnesota workplace injury, illness rate in 2024 holds steady at all-time low

Minnesota's estimated workplace injury and illness rate for 2024 was unchanged from that of 2023. According to the annual Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, Minnesota had an estimated 2.9 OSHA-recordable nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time-equivalent (FTE) workers in 2024; the estimated rate for 2023 was the same. This is the lowest rate recorded since the measurement started in 1973.

The survey estimated Minnesota had 66,000 workers with OSHA-recordable nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2024, compared to 65,100 estimated cases for 2023. Injuries accounted for 62,600 (95%) total recordable cases in 2024; illnesses were an additional 3,400 cases. In 2023, there were 5,200 illnesses.

In 2024, Minnesota's employment covered by the survey was approximately 2.89 million workers. In 2023, employment covered by the survey was 2.85 million workers.

"Daily attention to workplace safety and health directly improves the safety and health outcomes for workers, reduces preventable work-related injuries and illnesses, and ensures more workers go home safe and healthy at the end of each work shift," said Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates a national total of 3.1 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in private- and public-sector workplaces for 2024, resulting in a rate of 2.6 cases per 100 FTE workers.

Other results from the Minnesota survey

The industries with the highest total injury and illness rate were state government hospitals (13.3 cases per 100 FTE workers), local government nursing care facilities (10.8), private industry beverage and tobacco product manufacturing (8.2), and private industry couriers and messengers (8.2).

Of the estimated 66,000 total recordable cases, 34,300 involved days away from work, job transfer or restriction (DART cases), at a rate of 1.5 cases per 100 FTE workers. An estimated 21,700 injured workers (63% of DART cases) had one or more days away from work after the day of injury, resulting in 1.0 cases per 100 FTE workers. In 2023, this rate was also 1.0.

An estimated 57,100 injury and illness cases were reported in the private sector, accounting for 87% of all recordable cases in 2024. Eighty-one percent of the estimated 8,800 injury and illness cases in the public sector were in local government.

Combined case and demographic data for 2023 and 2024 have been released. Additional statistics are available about the characteristics of the cases with days away from work and DART cases. Some highlights are shown below.

*For workers with one or more days away from work:*


* The median duration was six days.
* The most common types of injury and illness were sprains, strains and tears (29%), bruises and contusions (10%) and COVID-19 (9%). The "all other injuries and illnesses" category accounted for 29% of cases with days away from work.
* The most commonly injured body parts were upper extremities (27%), lower extremities (22%) and the trunk (21%).
* The most common injury events were overexertion, repetitive motion and bodily conditions (29%), contact incidents (24%) and falls, trips and slips (24%).
* The most common sources of injury and illness were ground, travel and support surfaces (19%), containers (13%) and person other than the injured or ill worker (11%). The "all other sources" category accounted for 23% of cases with days away from work.
* Occupation groups with the highest number of injuries and illnesses with days away from work included service (26%), transportation and material moving (20%), and production occupations (12%).
* Fifty-five percent of injured workers were male. Overexertion incidents were the leading cause of injury for both males and females.
* Fifty-two percent of injured workers were between the ages of 20 and 44. Workers age 55 and older accounted for 22% of cases, but had the longest time away from work, with a median of 11 to 12 days.

State agencies and BLS compile the survey data. This is the primary source of workplace injury and illness statistics at the state and national levels. DLI collects injury and illness records from randomly sampled Minnesota establishments in the private and public sectors (excluding federal agencies). Approximately 4,500 establishments provided usable responses for the 2024 survey.

DLI appreciates the thousands of employers that fulfilled their mandate to make the survey a success and enabled the publication of injury and illness rates.


* View the Minnesota data tables [ [link removed] ] on the DLI website.
* View the national data tables [ [link removed] ] on the BLS website.

*Media contact:*  James Honerman at 651-284-5313 or [email protected].

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