Causes and Costs of the Top 10 Disabling Workplace Injuries

Doctor examines a back x-ray

Disabling workplace injuries cost businesses more than $58 billion every year, and the construction industry once again tops the list of direct injury costs.

The annual Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index documents the top ten causes of workplace injuries that cause an employee to miss five or more days from work. It then ranks them by their direct cost to employers, considering medical and lost-wage payments.

The 2025 Index shows the top injury causes remain mostly the same from year to year, but falls on the same level have increased in cost and percentage of total cost in recent years. The Index is based on data from 3 years prior, so the 2025 index uses 2022 incident data.

This annual report reinforces the importance of promoting workplace safety to all employees, as well as the importance of comprehensive safety training and planning.

Top 10 Disabling Workplace Injuries by Direct Cost to U.S. Businesses

  1. Overexertion Involving Outside Sources – $13.7 billion – Related to lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, carrying or throwing
  2. Falls on the Same Level – $10.5 billion – Such as slipping on a wet floor
  3. Struck by Object or Equipment – $5.8 billion – Such as an object falling from above
  4. Falls to Lower Level – $5.07 billion – Most often, falls from a ladder or platform
  5. Other Exertions or Bodily Reactions – $3.9 billion – Injuries from bending, twisting, reaching or similar
  6. Roadway Incidents Involving Motorized Vehicles – $2.8 billion – Highway accidents are one example
  7. Slip or Trip Without Fall – $2.6 billion – Trips on cords are common
  8. Caught In or Compressed By Equipment – $2.2 billion – Getting caught in rollers or gears
  9. Repetitive Motions Involving Microtasks – $1.8 billion – Especially intense hand and shoulder work
  10. Struck Against Object or Equipment – $1.7 Billion – Walking into an open drawer or door – Ouch!

Workplace Injury Costs by Industry

The Index also reports the causes and costs of the most serious workplace injuries for eight specific industries that account for a high proportion of all national workplace injuries. Manufacturing is now in 3rd place, down from the #2 spot in the past.

The industries with the five highest workplace injury costs were:

  1. Construction – $10.4 billion
  2. Professional and Business Services – $8.24 billion
  3. Manufacturing – $7.47 billion
  4. Healthcare and Social Assistance – $6.9 billion
  5. Retail – $5.11 billion

In 2023, there were 2.5 million non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported by private industry employers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The incidence rate for total recordable cases (TRC) in private industry was 2.3 per FTE worker.

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