Every seven seconds, an American worker is injured on the job, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). That amounts to 12,900 workers per day and 4.7 million workers per year; numbers that will likely continue to increase as the workforce expands. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Employment Situation Summary for December 2018, the amount of non-farm payroll workers in the health care, food services and drinking places, construction, manufacturing, and retail trades increased significantly.
Who is at Risk?
A Travelers Insurance Injury Impact Report analyzed approximately 1.5 million workers’ compensation claims submitted from 2010 to 2014. The analysis focused on identifying the root causes of workplace injuries to help employers create safer work environments.
According to the report, material handling was the most common cause of accidents, accounting for 32 percent of all workers’ compensation claims. Other common causes of workplace accidents were:
- Slips, trips, and falls: This type of accident is one of the most common for construction, restaurant, and office workers. Slippery floors, exposed cables, and uneven carpeting are common causes of workplace slip, trip, and fall accidents, which accounted for 16 percent of all workplace accidents, according to the report.
- Being struck-by or colliding with an object: Workers in the construction, farming, trucking, and logging industries are at high risk for struck-by accidents. The report notes that this type of injury accounted for 10 percent of all accidents, most happening to workers in the retail industry.
- Accidents involving tools: Construction workers suffered the highest number of tool-related accidents, followed by those in the manufacturing, retail, and oil and gas industries.
- Cumulative trauma: Also called repetitive stress injuries, cumulative trauma injuries are those that occur due to repeated overuse or strain over time. According to the report, workers in the construction industry suffered this injury the most, followed by those in the manufacturing, retail, and oil and gas industries.
- Other causes: Some industries experienced unique accident causes, such as construction and retail, in which falls from heights were a main cause of injury. Surprisingly, the oil and gas industry was the only industry to have motor vehicle accidents included in its top five most common injuries.
Common Workplace Injuries
More than 25 percent of injuries occur within the first year of employment, according to the Travelers vice president of workers’ compensation. Some of the most common types of workplace injuries listed in the report were:
- Strains and sprains
- Cuts or punctures
- Contusions
- Inflammation
- Fractures
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates the cost of injuries to American businesses at $170 billion. The medical-related costs associated with workplace injuries is expected to account for 70 percent of all workers’ compensation costs this year.
Contact a Workers’ Comp Lawyer in Philadelphia at Larry Pitt & Associates, P.C.
If you were injured at work, a workers’ comp lawyer in Philadelphia at Larry Pitt & Associates, P.C. can help. Our experienced attorneys represent injured workers in all types of industries and obtain the compensation you deserve for your recovery. For a free consultation, complete our online contact form or call us at 888-PITT-LAW.
Located in Philadelphia, our team provides skilled representation to those working in and around Southeastern Pennsylvania, including Abington, Ambler, Ardmore, Bala Cynwyd, Bensalem, Clifton Heights, Crum Lynne, Darby, Downingtown, Doylestown, Drexel Hill, Essington, Folcroft, Glenolden, Haverford, Havertown, Holmes, Kutztown, Lansdowne, Media, Merion Station, Morton, Narberth, Norristown, Norwood, Philadelphia, Prospect Park, Quakertown, Reading, Roxborough, Sharon Hill, Upper Darby, West Chester, and Wynnewood.
