The printing industry has seen a remarkable improvement in safety, with injury and illness rates for 2023 showing a dramatic decrease. According to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of reported workplace injuries and illnesses in printing operations dropped by 1,200 incidents from 2022 to 2023, marking a 20.3% decrease.
This shift comes as a welcome relief, reversing the slight increase seen in 2022, which was considered an anomaly. The 2023 data demonstrates that the printing industry's injury and illness rates continue to be among the lowest, maintaining its historical trend of safety.
The broader trend in private industry mirrors the printing sector's improvement, with overall nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in the U.S. falling by 8.4% from 2022 to 2023. The incidence rate of total recordable cases (TRC) in private industry dropped to 2.8 cases per 100 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers, a decrease from the previous year. Similarly, the printing industry saw its TRC rate drop from 2.0 in 2022 to 1.7 in 2023.
Key Statistics
The following table provides a detailed comparison of injury and illness rates for printing and related support activities (NAICS 323) versus the manufacturing sector.
Table 1 - Injury and Illness Rates Per 100 Full-Time Workers for Printing (NAICS 323)
Type | 2022 | 2023 | ||
Printing | Manufacturing | Printing | Manufacturing | |
Total Recordable Cases | 2.0 | 3.2 | 1.7 | 2.8 |
Total Lost Workday Cases | 1.3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.8 |
Lost Workday Cases w/ days away from work | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.9 |
Cases Without Lost Workdays | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.9 |
Other Recordable Cases | 0.8 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 1.0 |
Table 2 provides information on the total number of injuries and illnesses for printing and related support activities.
Table 2 – Total Number of Injuries and Illnesses in Printing (NAICS 323)
Printing and related support activities | 2022 | 2023 |
7,100 | 5,900 |
Additional details on injury and illness data by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) for the printing, packaging, and publishing subsegments can be found here.
A Bright Outlook for Printing Industry Safety
This year’s data is a testament to the commitment of the printing industry to improve workplace safety. The reduction in injury and illness rates reflects ongoing efforts to implement effective safety measures and promote a culture of health and safety within the sector.
For more information about past years' data, visit PRINTING United Alliance’s web page at Business Excellence-EHS Affairs-Safety and Health-Safety Resources. For a copy of the BLS report, Workplace Injuries and Illnesses visit BLS-Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities.
In this article, Gary Jones, Vice President of EHS Affairs, PRINTING United Alliance, addresses injury and illness rates. More information can be found at Business Excellence-EHS Affairs or reach out to Gary should you have additional questions specific to how these issues may affect your business: gjones@printing.org.
To become a member of the Alliance and learn more about how our subject matter experts can assist your company with services and resources such as those mentioned in this article, please contact the Alliance membership team: 888-385-3588 / membership@printing.org.