Injury Trends for Past 5 Years
Originally Published by: EHS Today — April 13, 2026
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Comparing injuries that occurred since the pandemic with those before it, a new survey, the 2025 Travelers Injury Impact Report, analyzed more than 2.6 million workers' compensation claims submitted from 2015 to 2024.
The report found that the average number of lost workdays over the past five years has increased by more than 7 days to an average of 80 lost workdays.
During that same timeframe, injuries of first-year workers rose from 34% to 36%, resulting in more than 5 million missed workdays. Their share of overall claim costs increased from 32% to 34%.
The average number of lost workdays by industry:
- Construction 115 Days
- Transportation 92
- Services 78
- Wholesale 76
- Manufacturing 74
Employee Injury Trends
The manufacturing industry experienced these common causes of injuries:
- Overexertion -- 37%
- Slips, trips and falls -- 20%
- Being struck by an object -- 11%
- Caught-in- or caught-between hazards -- 10%
- Cuts or punctures -- 5%
Most common injuries:
- Strains and sprains -- 29%
- Fractures -- 18%
- Dislocations -- 11%
- Inflammation -- 6%
- Contusions -- 6%
The most common causes of injury to first-year manufacturing employees.
- Overexertion -- 32%
- Slips, trips and falls -- 18%
- Being struck by an object -- 15%
- Caught-in or caught-between hazards -- 13%
- Cuts or punctions -- 6%
Among employees over 60, 18% are injured, up from 14% over the previous five years.
This group misses an average of 17 additional days compared with the manufacturing industry average. This is almost 8 days more than before the onset of the pandemic.
In the construction industry, workers miss an average of 115 days due to workplace injuries. That is 14 more days than in the previous five years.
Most severe injuries:
- Cardiovascular injuries
- Multiple traumas
- Electric shocks
- Dislocations
- Head traumas
- Crushing injuries
- Amputations
Looking at the Injury impact of first-year construction workers, the survey found that 44% of all construction worker injuries involved first-year workers. First-year workers drove 47% of all construction workers' compensation claim costs.
Most common injuries of first-year employees:
- Slips, trips and falls -- 48%
- Being struck by an object - - 12%
- Overexertion -- 11%
- Caught-in or caught-between hazards -- 7%
- Cuts and punctures -- 3%
Aging workers who represent 10% of all injured workers are 60+, up from 7% during the previous five years.
Injured workers aged 60+ miss an average of 12 additional days compared to the construction industry average. This is almost five days more since the pandemic began.
The report also provides results for injuries in the wholesale and small business industries.