EHS ConceptsThe Ways of Safety

Free field guide

The 5,070: What Kills Workers, and the Leader's Fix List

What killed U.S. workers in 2024, event by event, and the leader's fix list for each.

By Ryan L. Rinehart, Retired Navy Veteran, 19+ years in EHS. Free PDF, no email needed.

Download the free PDF All field guides

The list, with where to start on each

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) 2024, news release USDL-26-0230 (Feb. 19, 2026), Table 2 (events, 2023–24) and Table A-9 (events by private industry sector). CFOI counts fatal injuries only; deaths from occupational illness are excluded unless an injury event caused them. Events use the BLS Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS) version 3. BLS suppresses small cells, so subcategories do not always add to totals. * Rows marked with an asterisk are EHS Concepts calculations from the published figures.

  1. Transportation incidents

    • 1,937 transportation deaths in 2024, 38.2% of all work deaths
    • 1,146 roadway crashes involving motor vehicles, down 8.5%
    • 369 pedestrians struck by vehicles, up 19.0%

    Start here: Change one rule today: the next job is sent before the driver leaves the last one, or the driver calls back when parked. Put it in writing.

    Rules and guidance: 49 CFR 392.80, 392.82, 395.3, 396.11 [FMCSA] · 1910.178(m), (n) [GI] · 1926.601, 1926.201 [CON] · OSH Act 5(a)(1) [BOTH]

  2. Falls, slips, and trips

    • 844 deaths from falls, slips, and trips in 2024
    • 666 falls to a lower level
    • 10.8% of fatal falls, slips, and trips were from more than 30 feet

    Start here: Buy one platform ladder per building and retire the worst stepladder today. Put a self-closing gate on the mezzanine.

    Rules and guidance: 1910.22, 1910.23, 1910.28 [GI] · 1926.501, 1926.502, 1926.1053 [CON]

  3. Contact with objects and equipment

    • 756 contact incident deaths in 2024
    • 357 struck by falling, flying, or swinging objects
    • 213 struck, caught, or compressed by running powered equipment

    Start here: Time lockout on your most-jammed machine. If it takes more than a few minutes, fix the procedure and hardware so the safe way is the fast way.

    Rules and guidance: 1910.147, 1910.212 [GI] · 1910.176(b), 1910.178(m) [GI] · 1926.651, 1926.652 [CON]

  4. Violent acts

    • 733 deaths from violent acts in 2024
    • 470 homicides, 64.1% of the group
    • 263 suicides at work, 35.9% of the group

    Start here: Ask front-line staff: when have you felt unsafe here? Fix the top answer this month. Put a lock on the staff door today.

    Rules and guidance: OSH Act 5(a)(1) [BOTH] · Cal. Labor Code 6401.9 [STATE] · OSHA 3148 [GUIDANCE] · OSHA suicide prevention [GUIDANCE]

  5. Exposure to harmful substances or environments

    • 687 exposure deaths in 2024, down 16.2%
    • 410 unintentional drug or alcohol overdoses at work
    • 130 deaths from exposure to electricity

    Start here: Put naloxone in every first-aid kit this week and train two people per shift. Label every confined space and lock the ones nobody needs to enter.

    Rules and guidance: 1910.146, 1910.147, 1910.333 [GI] · OSH Act 5(a)(1) heat [BOTH] · OSHA heat proposal [proposed] · OSHA 4519 [GUIDANCE]

  6. Fires and explosions

    • 93 deaths from fires and explosions in 2024
    • 56 explosions
    • 30 explosions of pressure vessels, piping, or tires

    Start here: Write a one-page hot work permit this week and require it for every job outside the weld booth.

    Rules and guidance: 1910.106, 1910.252, 1910.157 [GI] · 1910.38, 1910.39 [GI] · 1910.119 [GI]

The full PDF adds, for each item, why it really happens, the rules in plain words, controls in hierarchy order, a 30-minute self-audit, who owns it and a toolbox talk starter.

Download the free PDF (34-page PDF)

Sources, as cited in the guide
  1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, 2024 (news release USDL-26-0230, Feb. 19, 2026). https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cfoi.nr0.htm
  2. BLS CFOI, Table 2: fatal occupational injuries for selected events or exposures, 2023–24. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cfoi.t02.htm
  3. BLS CFOI 2024, Table A-9: fatal occupational injuries by event or exposure and major private industry sector. https://www.bls.gov/iif/fatal-injuries-tables/fatal-occupational-injuries-table-a-9-2024.htm
  4. BLS, Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (Jan. 22, 2026). https://www.bls.gov/news.release/osh.nr0.htm
  5. OSH Act Section 5, Duties (General Duty Clause). https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/oshact/section5-duties
  6. OSH Act Section 11(c), anti-retaliation. https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/oshact/section_11
  7. 29 CFR 1904.39, reporting fatalities and severe injuries, eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1904.39
  8. 29 CFR 1910.38 and 1910.39, emergency action and fire prevention plans, eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/part-1910/subpart-E
  9. 29 CFR 1910.22, 1910.23, 1910.28, walking-working surfaces, ladders, fall protection, eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/part-1910/subpart-D
  10. 29 CFR 1926.501, duty to have fall protection (construction), eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.501
  11. 29 CFR 1910.147, control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1910.147
  12. 29 CFR 1910.212, general requirements for all machines, eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1910.212
  13. 29 CFR 1910.176 and 1910.178, materials handling and powered industrial trucks, eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/part-1910/subpart-N
  14. 29 CFR 1926.651 and 1926.652, excavations, eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/part-1926/subpart-P
  15. 29 CFR 1910.146, permit-required confined spaces, eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1910.146
  16. 29 CFR 1910.333, electrical safety-related work practices, eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1910.333
  17. 29 CFR 1910.106, flammable liquids, eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1910.106
  18. 29 CFR 1910.252, welding, cutting and brazing (fire prevention), eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1910.252
  19. 29 CFR 1910.157, portable fire extinguishers, eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1910.157
  20. 49 CFR 392.80 and 392.82, texting and hand-held phone bans (CMV), eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-392.80
  21. 49 CFR 395.3, hours of service (property-carrying drivers), eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-395.3
  22. 49 CFR 396.11 and 396.13, driver vehicle inspection reports and driver inspection, eCFR. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/section-396.11
  23. OSHA/NHTSA/NETS, Guidelines for Employers to Reduce Motor Vehicle Crashes (PDF). https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/MOTOR_VEHICLE_GUIDE.pdf
  24. OSHA, Motor Vehicle Safety topic page. https://www.osha.gov/motor-vehicle-safety
  25. OSHA, Workplace Violence topic page. https://www.osha.gov/workplace-violence
  26. OSHA 3148, Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Healthcare and Social Service Workers (PDF). https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/osha3148.pdf
  27. Cal/OSHA, Workplace Violence Prevention for General Industry (Labor Code 6401.9) (dir.ca.gov can load slowly; if it does not open, use the official statute text in the next source). https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/Workplace-Violence/General-Industry.html
  28. California Legislative Information, Labor Code section 6401.9 (official statute text). <https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=6401.9>
  29. OSHA, Workplace Suicide Prevention. https://www.osha.gov/preventingsuicides
  30. OSHA Fact Sheet, Opioid Overdose Rescue with Reversal Medications (OSHA 4519, PDF). https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA4519.pdf
  31. OSHA, Heat injury and illness prevention rulemaking. https://www.osha.gov/heat-exposure/rulemaking
  32. OSHA Directive CPL 03-00-024, National Emphasis Program: Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards (Apr. 10, 2026). https://www.osha.gov/enforcement/directives/cpl-03-00-024
  33. Safety+Health, “Supplemental proposed rule on heat could appear soon, OSHA staffer says” (Sept. 2026). https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/oshas-supplemental-proposed-rule-on-heat-could-appear-soon-agency-staffer-says/
  34. OSHA, On-Site Consultation Program. https://www.osha.gov/consultation

Want help putting this in place at your site?

Bring one item from this guide to a Working Session. We spend 60 minutes by video on one problem at your site, and you leave with the next step written down. $225.

Book a Working Session