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What is the frequency of workplace injuries?

On Behalf of | Jul 7, 2017 | Workers' Compensation

According to the National Safety Council, every seven seconds in the United States, a workplace injury occurs. That works out to nearly five million injured workers each year, or 12,900 injuries every day.

Young, inexperienced workers are at particular risk of getting hurt on the job, as over 25 percent of injuries happen during workers’ initial year on the job, the vice president of the workers’ compensation division of Travelers Insurance stated.

Las year, the insurance company released its half-decade “Injury Impact Report.” Researchers looked into 1.5 million claims for workers’ compensation to understand how, why and where workplace injuries happen, and the cost.

Travelers discovered that injuries occur in all occupations. Most are related to carrying lifting or lowering objects and equipment. The most common repercussions are sprains, strains, inflammation and bruises, making up a third of total claims.

Next on the list are falls, trips and slips at 16 percent. Not as common was colliding with or getting hit by something. Accidents that involve cumulative trauma or repetitive stress injuries and tools were even less common.

Even though accidents with tools usually were minor, they rounded out the top five for all industries, with small business employees getting hurt most in these types of accidents.

Construction workers fell the most, to no one’s surprise. Those working in the gas and oil industries were the only ones listing motor vehicle accidents in the top five. Eye injuries most frequently happened in manufacturing and construction.

Although major injuries happened with the least frequency, they cost employers the most. For example, amputations cost more than $100,000. Limb dislocation could run almost $100,000, and electrocution came in at third place at approximately $55,000. Strains and sprains came off far cheaper at just $17,000.

Added together, plus the 10,000 deaths that occur on the job every year, the cost equaled roughly $170 billion, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration reported.

If you wind up injured on the job, you might need the assistance of a Louisiana workers’ comp attorney to fight for your benefits.

Source: CBS News, “What happens every 7 seconds: A workplace injury,” Ed Leefeldt, accessed July 07, 2017

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