National ranking · OSHA ITA + BLS
The most dangerous industries to work in
Industry sectors ranked by the average Total Case Rate of their employers, injuries per 100 full-time workers per year.
- 50
- Industries ranked
- 12.8
- Worst avg TCR
The verdict
The single most dangerous sector, Animal hospitals, averages 12.8 recordable injuries per 100 workers, well above the all-industry private-sector norm of roughly 2.7; the #50 cutoff to make this list is TCR 6.9 (Beef produced in slaughtering plants).
- 12.8
- worst TCR · Animal hospitals
- 6.9
- #50, the cutoff to make this list
- 50
- industries ranked
- 2016–2024
- OSHA filing years
Ranked by the mean Total Case Rate across the rated (credible-TCR) subset in each NAICS industry, OSHA ITA Form 300A. See Methodology → Three Populations.
Top industries by average TCR
Where the industry-list cutoff sits among all sectors
The bar to make this list: TCR 6.9
#50 cutoff among 1,023 NAICS industries with a rated mean TCR
Industries, bucketed by mean rated-employer Total Case Rate
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more industries. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source OSHA ITA Form 300A (credible-subset industry means) · 2016–2024
Source: OSHA Injury Tracking Application establishment data and BLS IIF industry benchmarks, 2016–2024.
What this sector ranking means
Industry sets the baseline risk; the employer you choose determines where you actually land within it.
- Compare individual employers inside a sector, the range from A to F is wide. Look up an employer
- See what a strong safety record looks like among the safest establishments. Safest employers
- Read the full analysis of why some industries carry several-fold higher rates. Most dangerous industries
Sector averages use the credible-subset mean across reporting employers; a benchmark differs from any one establishment's measured rate.