Safety Hazards in Pennsylvania Workplaces that Can Lead to Occupational Injuries or Disease
November 3, 2016
The National Safety Council (NSC) reports that a worker is injured on the job every seven seconds in the United States, which adds up to 540 injuries per hour, 12,900 per day and 4,700,000 every year. All of those injuries add up to about 99,000,000 production days lost to down time from work-related injuries in 2014. According to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, there were 166,102 work injury and illness cases in 2015, which is down 11,000 fewer cases than the previous year. Workplace fatalities in Pennsylvania also decreased from 75 in 2014 to 65 in 2015. The industry with the most fatalities was construction with 17 deaths, followed by Trade, Transportation and Utilities with 11 deaths in the workplace.Workplace injuries and industries with the greatest number of injuries nationally
Nationally, the NSC reports the following as the top three workplace injuries that result in lost work days:
- Overexertion: Lifting and lowering, repetitive motion injuries (35 percent)
- Struck by, caught in objects and equipment: Struck, caught or crushed in collapsing structures, equipment or materials (25 percent)
- Slip, trip and falls: Falls on the same level and falls to a lower level. (25 percent)
The top five occupations with the largest number of workplace injuries that require days away from work:
- Service: Firefighters and police
- Transportation and shipping
- Manufacturing and production
- Installation, maintenance and repair
- Construction
Work-related injuries in Pennsylvania
In Pennsylvania, the most frequent work-related injuries include:
- Sprain/strain
- Contusion, crushing and bruising
- Cut, laceration & puncture
- Fracture
- Multiple injuries
- Occupational disease
- Burns: heat and chemical
- Amputation
- Other
The top three causes of these injuries in Pennsylvania included overexertion, being struck by objects and falls.
Regardless of the type of injury, if you should become injured at work, or be diagnosed with an occupational illness, you must report the incident to your employer and then seek medical attention immediately. The Pennsylvania workers’ compensation program provides a partial wage-replacement disability payment for workers who are injured on the job and require more than seven days away from work to recover from their injuries. Reasonable medical expenses including rehabilitation are covered and lump-sum payments for loss-of-use of a limb or other body part or function such as vision or hearing.
When you have been injured at work, or if you are facing a dispute with your employers’ workers’ compensation insurer, you will likely have many questions for a knowledgeable Philadelphia workers’ compensation attorney.
If you are a regular employee who has sustained a serious injury at work, you are welcome to discuss your case with an experienced Philadelphia workers’ compensation attorney. At Larry Pitt & Associates, we are prepared to represent your interests and fight for the compensation you deserve. Please contact us today or call 888.PITT.LAW for a free consultation. We serve clients throughout Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.
