Clema heat injury data · OSHA records through November 2025

Heat injuries by industry: one in six is a delivery worker.

Ask anyone to picture heat illness at work and they’ll describe a roofer. The OSHA records add a second picture: mail carriers and package couriers account for 177 of the 1,054 heat hospitalizations reported from 2021 through November 2025. Construction still leads, at 23%.

1 in 6heat hospitalizations reported to OSHA involves a Postal Service or courier worker.

A delivery driver with a clipboard beside an open van full of packages — Routes run through the afternoon peak, usually alone.

Construction leads. Delivery is right behind it.

Construction still has the most heat hospitalizations, 241 of the 1,054 reported from 2021 through November 2025. Transportation and warehousing is only 16 behind, and factories aren’t far off. Heat is no longer an outdoor-trades problem.

Construction22.9% of all

241

Transportation and Warehousing21.3% of all

225

Manufacturing16.9% of all

178

Admin, support and waste services12.0% of all

126

Utilities3.3% of all

Retail Trade3.3% of all

Wholesale Trade3.2% of all

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting2.9% of all

Source: Clema analysis of OSHA Severe Injury Reports, federal OSHA jurisdiction, January 2021 to November 2025 unless noted. Full method and CSVs on the heat injury statistics page.

Two construction workers in hard hats and hi-vis talking on a building site — Specialty trades alone account for 137 reports, 13% of the total.

Zoom in and two delivery jobs stand out.

Break the numbers down by subsector and the Postal Service (89) and couriers and messengers (88) rank second and third, behind only specialty trade contractors: the roofers, electricians, HVAC, concrete and framing crews.

Delivery work has a particular shape. Routes run straight through the afternoon peak, and a driver is usually alone, so there’s nobody nearby to notice the early signs.

Specialty Trade ContractorsNAICS 238

137

Postal ServiceNAICS 491

Couriers and MessengersNAICS 492

Administrative and Support ServicesNAICS 561

Heavy and Civil Engineering ConstructionNAICS 237

Waste Management and Remediation ServicesNAICS 562

UtilitiesNAICS 221

Construction of BuildingsNAICS 236

Primary Metal ManufacturingNAICS 331

Fabricated Metal Product ManufacturingNAICS 332

Factories: 178 reports

Manufacturing is third by sector. Metal plants show up most, with primary metals (25) and fabricated metal products (23) near the top. See manufacturing.

Support services: 126

A broad category that includes staffing agencies, landscaping and waste collection crews. Temporary and new workers are the least acclimatized people on any site.

Utilities: 35

Small in raw numbers, but line and substation crews work long storm-restoration shifts in full PPE. See utilities.

Three construction workers in hi-vis sitting on the ground in the shade during a heat break — Shade and scheduled rest only help if they actually happen.

What this means for your crew.

Whatever the industry, the controls that work are the same, and most cost nothing.

Ramp new and returning people up. Most serious heat cases hit in the first days on the job. Use a written acclimatization schedule.
Measure heat where the work is, and set work/rest by it. WBGT limits tell you more than the forecast.
Nobody works the hot hours unwatched. Buddy checks, radio check-ins for solo workers, and supervisors who know the signs (heat stress training).
Write it down. A site-specific heat illness prevention plan is the first thing an inspector asks for.

More from the data.

462

Texas and Florida reports, more than the next 13 states combined (442).

Read the story 24% → 43%

of heat hospitalizations led to an OSHA inspection, before vs since 2022.

Read the story 2,628

heat hospitalizations reported since 2015: the full dataset, trend and downloads.

Read the story

Questions people ask about this data.

Which industry has the most heat injuries?

Construction, with 241 of the 1,054 heat-related severe injuries reported to federal OSHA from 2021 to November 2025 (22.9%). Transportation and warehousing is close behind with 225 (21.3%), then manufacturing with 178 (16.9%).

Are delivery drivers at high risk of heat illness?

The OSHA records suggest so. The Postal Service (89) and couriers and messengers (88) together account for 177 heat hospitalizations from 2021 to November 2025, about one in six of all reports, second only to specialty construction trades at the subsector level.

Why does manufacturing show up so high?

Indoor heat from furnaces, ovens and process equipment can be as dangerous as summer sun, and many plants are not air conditioned. Manufacturing accounts for 178 heat hospitalizations from 2021 to November 2025, with metal manufacturing near the top.