WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National AFL-CIO has released its 35th annual Death on the Job-The Toll of Neglect report.
Workplace hazards kill approximately 140,000 Workers each year in the United States – more than 380 Workers each day.
Findings in the 2026 report include: 5,070 Workers died from traumatic injury on the job in 2024, the latest year of data available, and an estimated 135,000 died from occupational diseases. An estimated 530 Workers died from heat alone; Black Workers still die on the job at a disproportionately higher rate than the national average; Latino Workers continue to face the greatest risk of dying on the job in 2024, at a rate 30% higher than the national average. Of the Latino Workers who died, 68.5% were Immigrants, a larger percentage than in previous years. The rate of young Worker deaths has nearly doubled since 2020 and Workers age 65 and older are nearly three times as likely to die on the job than other Workers;
Workplace injuries create an enormous burden on the economy, costing an estimated $177 billion to $354 billion a year; and Underreporting is widespread and the true toll of work-related injuries and illnesses is estimated to be between five million and 7.5 million each year in private industry.
The Trump Administration is gutting funding for the agencies responsible for job safety:
The Administration has pushed out so much Staff that staffing at these safety agencies is at new lows, leaving fewer Inspectors than ever to cover a growing workforce; Instructed Inspectors to focus on employer outreach and assistance, taking time and resources away from inspections with citations; Reduced the fines corporations pay when they violate OSHA Rules; Stopped conducting MSHA impact inspections at mines with a poor history of compliance; and Proposed twice to eliminate Worker safety and health training grants, even though Congress has rejected these cuts so far.
As we honor those who have fallen this Workers Memorial Day, the AFL-CIO remains committed to holding corporations accountable so that all jobs are safe jobs – where every Worker can return home safely at the end of the day.
