Even as workplace injury rates decline, the injuries that do occur are growing more complex and taking longer to heal, a trend driven by an aging workforce and the disproportionate vulnerability of first-year employees, as outlined in The Travelers Companies, Inc.’s 2026 Injury Impact Report.
“The decrease in workplace injuries is a positive story, yet injured workers are still missing an average of 80 workdays,” says Claude Howard, VP, workers compensation claim at Travelers. “This report is a reminder that progress doesn’t mean the risk environment requires any less attention, and an employer’s commitment to safety must keep pace with an ever-evolving workforce and injury landscape.”
Key takeaways:
· Injuries involving employees 60 years of age and older represent 16% of all lost-time claims. Their injuries are also more severe, with higher rates of fractures and dislocations, both of which typically require longer recovery times. When injured, these employees miss approximately 97 days, 17 more than the overall average of 80 days.
· Despite representing a much smaller share of the total workforce, first-year employees account for approximately 37% of all injuries and 34% of overall claim costs, generating more than 5 million missed workdays over the five-year period. That pattern is even more pronounced in certain sectors, with new employees representing an outsized share of injuries in restaurants (51%), small businesses (46%) and construction (44%).
· Lost workdays vary by industry, with the highest averages occurring in construction (114 days); transportation (94 days); professional services (77 days) and manufacturing (76 days).
· Employees at small businesses miss an average of 86 workdays per injury, six more than the overall average.
· Slips, trips and falls rank among the leading causes of the costliest claims – those exceeding $250,000 – across every industry segment analyzed. As workforce demographics shift, the consequences of these persistent hazards are becoming more significant. For employees 60 years of age and older, slips, trips and falls are the top cause of injury, accounting for approximately 39% of their claims, roughly 15 percentage points higher than all other age groups.
