#men's problems

By: James L. Nuzzo

Published: Jun 23, 2026

The current data brief presents the number of males and females in the United States (U.S.) who died from injuries sustained at work between 1980-2024 and the causes of those workplace deaths. This updates a data brief published at The Nuzzo Letter in 2025.

NB: For 2001, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics excluded workplace injury deaths caused by the terrorist attacks on September 11. I think it is debatable whether this exclusion was scientifically sound.

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Number of Workplace Injury Deaths

About 10-13 times more males than females die each year from injuries sustained at work.

Between 1980 and 2024, 234,437 males and 18,539 females died from injuries sustained at work (92.7% males).

Between 1980 and 2024, the average annual number of males and females who died from workplace injuries was 5,210 and 412, respectively.

The number of male workplace injury deaths ranged from a low of 4,216 in 2009 to a high of 6,914 in 1980.

The number of female workplace injury deaths ranged from a low of 319 in 2013 to a high of 539 in 1995.

In 2024, 4,657 males and 413 females died from injuries sustained at work (91.9% males).

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Proportion of Workplace Injury Deaths

Males made up over 90% of workplace injury deaths each year between 1980 and 2024.

Between 1980 and 2024, males made up 92.7% of workplace injury deaths.

The male proportion of workplace deaths ranged from a low of 91.4% in 1995 to a high of 94.6% in 1981.

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Number and Proportion of Workplace Injury Deaths

This graph combines the data from the first two graphs into one visualization.

No new data are presented in this graph.

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Workplace Injury Deaths by Cause of Death, 1980-1995 Total

In 2001, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published a report that summed the total number of workplace injury deaths by cause over that 16-year period. Below are the results from that report.

Between 1980 and 1995, more males than females died from all causes of workplace injuries.

Between 1980 and 1995, the most frequent cause of male death at the workplace was motor vehicle accidents. Other leading causes of male death at the workplace were machine accidents, homicides, and falls.

Between 1980 and 1995, the most frequent cause of female death at the workplace was homicide. Other leading causes of female death at the workplace were motor vehicle accidents, falls, and machine accidents.

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Workplace Injury Deaths by Cause of Death, 2003-2022

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics now publishes annual data on the causes of workplace injury deaths (compiled in the graph below). Note that the categories and associated terminology differ somewhat from NIOSH’s 2001 report.

Between 2003 and 2022, more males than females died from all causes of workplace injuries.

Each year between 2003 and 2022, transportation incidents were the leading cause of male death at the workplace.

Each year, approximately 1,800 males die from transportation incidents at work.

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Workplace Homicides and Suicides, 1992-2024

Each year between 1992 and 2024, there were more workplace homicides than workplace suicides in the U.S.

Between 1992 and 2024, there were 20,190 workplace homicides and 7,948 workplace suicides in the U.S.

NB. Sex-segregated data on workplace homicides and workplace suicides were unavailable for the years 1992-2024. However, a report by NIOSH, which summed the number of workplace injury deaths between 1980 and 1995, revealed that 80% of victims of workplace homicides were males over that 16-year period (10,302 males; 2,560 females) and 92% of workplace suicides were males over that period (2,907 males; 248 females).

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Sources

For data 1980-1995: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Fatal Injuries to Civilian Workers in the United States, 1980-1995 - National and State Profiles. DHHS (NIOSH) Publication Number 2001-129S. 2001.

For data 1992-2002: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Miscellaneous CFOI Data Tables - All Worker Profile, 1992-2002.

For data 2003-2018: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Miscellaneous CFOI Data Tables - All Worker Profile, 1992-2002.

For data 2019-2024: Bureau of Labor Statistics. Annual Reports of Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries.

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Bonus Commentary

Since the early 1980s, workplace injury deaths in the U.S. have decreased modestly, namely from reduced numbers of deaths from transportation accidents. Nevertheless, transportation accidents are still the leading cause of workplace injury deaths in the U.S. Self-driving vehicles might help resolve this problem, but they present their own challenges.

The past 45 years of data illustrate that workplace injury deaths are primarily a men’s health issue. Oddly, big public health and the Bureau of Labor Statistics rarely discuss these deaths in a sex-specific way. In fact, in graphs published on page 1 of its press releases last year and this year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not present workplace injury deaths in a sex-segregated way. Moreover, in the text of the press releases, the Bureau emphasized the number of female workplace injury deaths. The number of male workplace injury deaths were presented data tables later in the press releases.

The Bureau’s decision to not clearly visualize sex-segregated data on workplace injury deaths is problematic for a couple of reasons.

First, in recent years, big public health and academia have called for more sex-segregated data. Thus, groups like the Bureau of Labor Statistics do not meet this call when their graphs combine male and female. Also, the Bureau’s decision to not clearly visualize sex-segregated data on workplace injury deaths reveals a double standard, where calls for sex-segregated data are met only in situations where women exhibit worse health outcomes.

Second, when data on workplace injury deaths are presented in graphs in a sex-segregated way, readers become aware of the substantial sex difference immediately. Displaying this stark contrast is important. It can promote empathy for men’s dangerous work; it can combat misguided ideas like “male privilege”; and it can facilitate understanding of a factor that contributes to the “gender pay gap” (i.e., men’s riskier work).

For further commentary on the sex bias at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, see my interview with Tom Golden at Men Are Good and my essay/podcast, “Dead Men and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”

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Contrary to popular belief; life as a male is not always to live it on easy mode. From the day many are born, to the day they die, it is often to live a life of vulnerability, violation, disadvantage, and neglect. Whether it’s the needless infant circumcision of babies on day zero, the way boys are left behind in western education, how they are so often sexually violated in adolescence, the unique vulnerabilities in adulthood, or lack of rights in fatherhood; the many issues that plague boys and men live in darkness. They are not under the public spotlight of political campaigning, or public ire. They are not picked at by think tanks, researched by academics, or fought for in the trenches of advocacy. The spotlight of awareness for boys and men is switched off. And as a result, not only are these issues not addressed, but worse, we are led to believe that they simply aren’t there at all. But just because something can’t be seen, or isn’t spoken about, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Because they do. And our failure to advocate boys and men, and worse, to attack those who do, will surely be a black mark on our history. What’s left until then is to keep playing the game. To watch boys and men run the gauntlet of life alone; where they stumble, fall, get up, fall again, are forgotten about, and too often tumble into the abyss. The kind hand of society is not reaching out to help them, but is instead clenched angrily, jutting out an accusatory finger: this is your problem boys, and yours to solve. --

Sources: [1] https://tinyurl.com/9tskxsjm [2] https://tinyurl.com/nju98uza [3] https://tinyurl.com/47jb6d8v [4] https://tinyurl.com/jx2pm4du [5] https://tinyurl.com/ha4wn35z [6] https://tinyurl.com/axyar97w [7] https://tinyurl.com/y4v2a5oc [8] https://tinyurl.com/5bb487zv [9] https://tinyurl.com/4jvhjpun [10] https://tinyurl.com/3e9zb6za [11] https://tinyurl.com/5axymffe [12] https://tinyurl.com/ytp5x6k2 [13] https://tinyurl.com/hka8jcf2 [14] https://tinyurl.com/227bjd7j [15] https://tinyurl.com/4kdvjj3v [16] https://tinyurl.com/29zj3p39 [17] https://tinyurl.com/5n77cvt7 [18] https://tinyurl.com/yc2j8zmd [19] https://tinyurl.com/2u8hu46c [20] https://tinyurl.com/dsek9t7c [21] https://tinyurl.com/ytp5x6k2 [22] https://tinyurl.com/286wez4u [23] https://tinyurl.com/4svu7szk [24] https://tinyurl.com/3cy4sznu [25] https://tinyurl.com/bdh8hc4m

What is a man? A response to Gillette (2019)

160911 Jackson Cut on 문제적남자 (TVN's Problematic Men)

1. Society constantly forcing men to be masculine.

2. All males are supposed to be ‘responsible’ or else they are often shamed.

3. Men are body shamed too, making fun of ‘small penises’ is just like making fun of small ‘small boobs’ 

4. People don’t care when men get sexually harassed/assaulted.

5. Domestic violence against men isn’t spoken against, if they do get beat up people say they either ‘deserved it’ or ‘were weak’

6. Unfair terms while fighting for child custody

7. Constant reminders from society that they shouldn’t cry, or show their emotions.

8. Societal expectations to be physically strong all the time.