BLS: Guam posts 800 workplace injuries and illnesses in 2024

By Jayvee Vallejera

Private employers on Guam reported 800 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2024, with companies in the leisure and hospitality industry posting the highest number, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday.

This resulted in a “total recordable cases” incidence rate of 1.9 cases per 100 full-time equivalent workers in Guam, according to a BLS news release. The national case rate in 2024 was 2.3.

The findings from the 2024 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses showed that the recordable case incidence rates in the Guam private industry ranged from 0.7 in financial activities to 3.3 in leisure and hospitality, the BLS said.

Injuries accounted for almost all 800 total recordable cases, while illnesses accounted for less than 50 cases, BLS said. The report did not indicate any fatalities.

Tourism, one of Guam’s primary economic drivers, posted the highest number of occupational injuries and illnesses compared to other private sector activities. BLS reports that the leisure and hospitality industry accounted for 300 occupational injuries and illnesses.

The construction sector, which is typically prone to accidents, posted a rate of only 0.8, while the education and health services sector had a rate of 2.3.

The case rate for the trade, transportation and utilities industry was 2.2 in 2024 and 2.5 in 2023. Leisure and hospitality rates were 3.3 and 5.0 in 2024 and 2023, respectively. The government of Guam rate was at 0.7.

The injury and illness incidence rate ranged from 1.1 for establishments with 11 to 49 employees to 2.6 for establishments with 50 to 249 employees. Farms with fewer than 11 employees were not included in the survey.

Of the 800 private industry injury and illness cases reported in Guam, 500 were of a more severe nature, involving days away from work, job transfer or restriction while recuperating, BLS said

These cases occurred at a rate of 1.1 cases per 100 full-time workers. Nationally, the rate was 1.4.

Other recordable cases—those not involving days away from work, job transfer or restriction—accounted for the remaining 300 cases, at a rate of 0.8. The national rate for other recordable cases was 1.0, the statistics office said.

The bureau also reported that the incidence rate of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in Guam’s private industry was 1.9 in 2024. The national private industry rate is 2.3.

The 2024 BLS report included only data from Guam employers and did not account for unreported incidents.

The U.S. Department of Labor, through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, requires U.S. employers to record and report workplace injuries and illnesses, especially serious incidents resulting in fatalities, hospitalizations, amputations, or loss of an eye.

OSHA regulations mandate employers to report fatalities within eight hours and serious injuries within 24 hours.

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