U.S. employers spend $58.78 billion annually on worker injuries, insurer Liberty Mutual announced July 15 with the release of its 2025 Workplace Safety Index. The top 10 causes of serious workplace injuries account for over 86%, or $50.87 billion, of the total cost.
Liberty Mutual has compiled its index for 25 years, identifying the top 10 causes of workplace injuries that result in employees missing more than five days of work. The causes are ranked within the index by associated medical and lost-wage payments.
The top 10 causes of serious workplace injuries are:
- Overexertion involving outside sources, which remains the number one cause of injuries, accounting for costs of $13.7 billion, largely due to manual materials handling.
- Falls on the same level is the number two cause, with a cost of $10.5 billion, emphasizing the need for slip, trip, and fall prevention strategies.
- Struck by an object or equipment, costing employers $5.8 billion a year.
- Falls to a lower level, also costing employers $5.8 billion a year.
- Other exertions or bodily reactions, costing employers $3.9 billion a year.
- Roadway incidents involving “motorized land vehicles,” costing employers $2.8 billion annually.
- Slip or trip without a fall, costing employers $2.6 billion.
- Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects, costing employers $2.2 billion.
- Repetitive motions involving microtasks, costing employers $1.8 billion.
- Struck against an object or equipment, costing employers $1.7 billion.
Musculoskeletal injuries continue to be a significant contributor to employers’ costs. More than half—56%—of workplace injuries affect the back, shoulder, knee, or multiple body parts, costing employers nearly $32.6 billion.
Seven of this year’s top 10 injury causes have appeared in all 25 editions of the index: overexertion involving outside sources, falls on the same level, falls to a lower level, struck by an object or equipment, other exertions or bodily reactions, roadway incidents, and caught in or compressed by equipment or objects.
According to Liberty Mutual, “overexertion involving outside sources” and “falls on the same level” have dominated the report for 25 years, representing nearly 40% of U.S. employers’ total injury losses. The total financial impact of falls on the same level has skyrocketed by $4.6 billion.
However, the cost of repetitive motion injuries from microtasks has plummeted by 44% due to targeted safety efforts. Repetitive motion injuries from microtasks dropped out of the top 10 in 2022 and 2023, according to Liberty Mutual.
The Workplace Safety Index is based on information from Liberty Mutual; customized data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Office of Safety, Health, and Working Conditions; and the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI). BLS nonfatal injury data is analyzed along with Liberty Mutual data to determine which events caused employees to miss more than five days of work.
Liberty Mutual also released a series of “deep dives” into the index for eight industries:
- Construction,
- Healthcare and social assistance,
- Leisure and hospitality,
- Manufacturing,
- Professional and business services,
- Retail,
- Transportation and warehousing, and
- Wholesale trade.
“The Index provides employers a trusted roadmap for improving workplace safety,” Dorothy Doyle, Liberty Mutual senior vice president and general manager for risk control, said in a statement.