The 2024 total recordable injury and illness rate was 2.2 in construction, 2.7 in manufacturing and 4.8 in warehousing and storage, measured in cases per 100 full-time workers. BLS reports a private-industry reference rate of 2.3. This selected comparison covers industries relevant to many safety businesses; it is not a ranking of every industry.
Compare the same measure and year
| Industry | NAICS | 2024 total recordable case rate | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private industry reference | All covered private industries | 2.3 | BLS release |
| Construction | 23 | 2.2 | BLS construction |
| Manufacturing | 31–33 | 2.7 | BLS manufacturing |
| Warehousing and storage | 493 | 4.8 | BLS warehousing |
All rates are cases per 100 full-time-equivalent workers. Sources checked September 10, 2026. The BLS release was published January 22, 2026 and describes 2024 annual rates. The private-industry reference includes the selected industries, so these four rows must not be summed or averaged into another national rate.
Download the comparison table.
What the differences show
Warehousing’s displayed rate is 2.5 cases per 100 full-time workers above the private-industry reference: 4.8 − 2.3. Manufacturing is 0.4 above it, and construction is 0.1 below it. These are simple differences between rounded published rates, not adjusted comparisons or tests of statistical significance.
A broad industry can contain operations with very different exposures. The table describes broad industry rates. It does not predict conditions at a particular facility or compare the quality of business management. It also does not measure the severity of every case.
Injury rates, DART and fatalities
Total recordable cases include injuries and illnesses. DART identifies cases involving time away, job restriction or transfer; it is part of the recordable total. Fatality statistics use a separate series and should be labeled separately. Our construction statistics show why a fatality count and a nonfatal case rate belong in different columns.
Do not translate “4.8 cases per 100 full-time workers” into “4.8% of workers were injured.” Cases are not necessarily unique people, and the denominator reflects full-time-equivalent exposure. Keep the published unit on a chart; shortening it to a percentage changes its meaning.
Why an OSHA database gives a different picture
Inspection datasets count enforcement records. Their composition reflects the cases captured by a source and the scope of a collection. Dividing an inspection count by an unrelated employment figure does not produce the BLS injury rate.
That also limits prospecting conclusions. A high industry rate does not establish that a company is seeking safety services. Use the industry comparison to understand the market, then review the establishment, operations and source evidence. OSHA Finder’ coverage page explains the separate collection used for company research.
For sector detail, read warehouse safety statistics or the manufacturing citation comparison. Keep a consistent measure when moving between them.