Los Alamos Lab reports 21% drop in workplace injuries, illness cases

Los Alamos National Laboratory said workplace injuries and illnesses fell 21% in 2025, a decline the lab is tying to a stronger safety culture rather than one quick fix. The harder question is whether the improvement is durable and meaningful for workers in a facility where even routine mistakes can disrupt mission work.

In its May 5 update, the lab said 27% of recordable cases over the past year were slips, trips and falls. That matters because it points to everyday conditions, not just the high-hazard tasks most people associate with a nuclear-security laboratory, as a major source of preventable harm.

The lab said it is now focusing more on employee empowerment and root-cause analysis of recurring injuries. That approach shifts attention from counting incidents after the fact to trying to prevent the same kinds of problems from showing up again in offices, maintenance areas, and other parts of the sprawling site.

The numbers also come with a workforce signal: 86% of staff took part in the 2026 DuPont Safety Culture Survey. Los Alamos National Laboratory said the survey, which is conducted every two years, helps managers gauge how safe employees feel and whether they are comfortable raising concerns that could lead to changes in policies, procedures, conversations, activities and daily work practices.

Sarah Morris-Benavides, the lab’s occupational safety and health manager, said the survey results help the laboratory measure how safe the workforce feels and guide positive changes. That kind of employee feedback is central to whether the drop in injuries reflects a real shift on the ground or just a temporary dip in the numbers.

Mark Davis, the deputy laboratory director for operations, said safety lapses can slow or even shut down work at key facilities. His portfolio includes operational excellence, infrastructure modernization and mission support services that help enable safe, reliable execution of the laboratory’s national security mission, making safety a direct operational issue, not just a compliance box.

The lab’s safety and wellbeing policy says workers are empowered to report at-risk conditions and pause or stop work when they see imminent danger, and it says managers must create an environment where concerns can be raised without fear of retaliation. That policy sits inside the Environment, Safety, Health, and Quality organization, which says its mission is to protect people, resources and the environment, while Occupational Safety and Health is meant to support mission success through employee health and regulatory compliance.

For Los Alamos County, the stakes reach beyond the lab gate. As one of the area’s defining employers, Los Alamos National Laboratory’s safety performance affects workers, contractors and the stability of an institution central to the county’s economy and the nation’s nuclear security work.