Some 2.2 million people worldwide die of work-related accidents and occupational diseases each year. In the United States, about 6,000 die each year in work-related accidents and more than five million are injured. Globally, men are at greater risk of dying before age 65, while women suffer more from work-related communicable diseases, psycho-social factors and long-term musculoskeletal disorders.

Men tend to die as a result of accidents, lung diseases and work-related cancers, such as those caused by asbestos. Younger workers (age 15-24) are more likely to suffer non-fatal occupational accidents than their older colleagues, while workers over the age of 55 appear to be more likely to suffer fatal accidents and ill-health.