Workplace Injuries Could be Avoided by Increased Automation

Automation can be an important tool in reducing injuries, according to a new report from Lamber Goodnow, a legal firm.

The report examined industries with the highest rates of workplace injuries and those that could most benefit from increased automation, leading to reductions in workplace injury rates.

Data came from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics workplace injury data for 2020-2024, along with 2030 forecast data from the World Economic Forum and sector-level automation levels as of 2025. 

The report found that U.S. workplaces have recorded an average of 2.7 million injuries a year since 2020.

The sector that has the highest workplace injury rate is State-run healthcare. And the highest rate by industry is spectator sports.

However, the predicted automation of 30% of tasks by 2030 is expected to reduce U.S. workplace injuries by 5.9%.

Looking at a couple of sectors, restaurants and local government-run schools, automation is expected to reduce workplace injuries by 10,000 per year by 2030.

Predicted Changes to Sector Workplace Injury Rates By 2030

By 2030, the World Economic Forum predicts that 30% of tasks will have been automated, with some sectors seeing automation and AI usage as high as 40%, while every industry is forecast to become at least 20% more automated than it is today. 

Historically, studies have found that a 10% increase in automation has been associated with a roughly 2% reduction in workplace injuries. 

Analysis of both predicted automation development and current workplace injury rates, by Lamber Goodnow, found that workplace injuries are forecast to decrease by 5.9% by 2030, preventing approximately 161,000 injuries annually within five years.

Prediction models revealed that automation and AI use in the Private Healthcare sector will lead to the most significant drop in injury numbers of any sector, with the injury incidence rate expected to fall by 6.3%, preventing nearly 30,000 injuries annually.

Goods Manufacturing (18,143) and Retail Trade (16,405) are predicted to have the second- and third-largest drops in injury numbers at the sector level, representing 5.5% and 4.9% improvements, respectively.

Nationally, figures suggest that workplace injuries will fall from 2.43 per 100 workers to 2.29 per 100 by 2030. 

Industries With the Highest Rates of Injuries After Automation

Per 100 workers, State-run Nursing and Residential Care currently has the second-highest workplace injury rate (8.9 per 100 workers), behind only Spectator Sports (including professional athletes), where more than 40% get injured at least once per year.

While automation and AI are predicted to take on 32% of tasks within State-run Nursing and Residential Care by 2030, prediction models suggest injury rates will fall to just 8.7 per 100, keeping incident rates close to four times higher than the predicted national average (2.29).

Couriers will still have the second-highest rate per 100 workers, falling from 7.9 to 7.4. This represents a 6.4% decline and 3,352 incidents annually by 2030; however, it is still close to three times the national average rate.

Of the ten industries expected to retain the highest injury rates per 100 workers, Scientific Professional Services ranks 7th but sees the steepest drop in annual injuries after the forecasted adoption of automation. By 2030, injury rates are expected to fall 7.8%, from 5.7 to 5.3 per 100 workers, reducing incidents per year by 2,761.

Industries With The Highest Numbers of Injuries After Automation

Reviewing current against projected 2030 numbers of injuries per industry, the report found that Private Hospitals - the single largest source of workplace injuries - will see a reduction of injuries from 172,830 per year to just 167,747; a decrease of 5,083 (2.9%).

Schools have the second-highest numbers of injuries, but are forecast to see workplace injuries decline by 12,711 by 2030, taking annual reported injuries from 162,700 to 149,359 (7.8%). 

Restaurants will have the third-highest number of injuries, but as an industry, they will see incidents fall by 7.3% by 2030. Annually, the restaurant industry currently sees 140,730 workplace injuries per year; however, with increased automation and AI adoption, this is projected to fall to just 130,520, a reduction of 10,210.

Rounding off the five industries with the highest numbers of injuries, even after automation, are:

Grocery Stores, where automation adoption by 2030 is estimated to see injuries fall by 6.4%. Workplace injuries in Grocery Stores are forecast to fall by 4,569, from the current annual figure of 71,700 to 67,131 over the next five years.

General Stores is the industry with the 5th highest number of workplace injuries; however, with increased automation, this is projected to fall from 70,500 annually to 66,007, a decline of 6.4% or 4,493 in annual numbers.