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If on-the-job injuries are a cause for concern, you are not alone. According to the National Safety Council, seven workers receive injuries every second, which means there are 12,900 workplace injuries each day—a staggering 4.7 million injuries per year. As Millennials (one of the largest generations in recent history) are joining the workforce, experts expect those numbers to climb.
According to Rich Ives, the vice president of workers’ compensation for Traveler’s insurance, employees are most likely to receive an injury during their first year of employment. High injury numbers have a two-dimensional explanation: Younger workers make up a third of the workforce, while Americans older than 55 make up another third. Both subsets of the working population are more accident-prone, according to Ives.
This is just a taste of the findings from the Travelers Injury Impact Report, which assesses 1.5 million workers’ compensation claims. As one of the leaders in workers’ comp insurance, Travelers analyzed why and where workplace injuries occur as well as how much they cost. Read it to find out all about the state of workplace health in the country.
The Injury Impact report found that no industry was immune to workplace injuries. The most common claims were simple injuries, like strains, sprains, and bruises from actions such as lifting and carrying. Nearly a third of all claims were from these types of incidents, the analysis found, and injuries occurred in all occupations.
Trips, slips, and falls were also common, accounting for 16% of claims. Cumulative trauma, in which an injury resulted from overuse, was less common but still made the top five causes of claims—as did injuries using tools.
While workplace injury does not discriminate by occupation, some environments are more likely to result in injuries than others. Construction workers, for example, experienced the most falls, but some of the other numbers are more surprising. Broken down by industry, oil and gas employees were the only workers to have motor vehicle accidents in their top five reasons for workers’ compensation claims.
Construction workers and those in the manufacturing sector were also most likely to suffer from eye injuries. Though every industry has workers’ compensation claims, the construction, manufacturing, and retail industries were most likely to report injuries that resulted in more time missed from work.
The costliest injuries were not the most common injuries. Severe trauma, such as amputations and fractures, proved to be costliest injuries in the analysis. An amputation had an average claim cost of $102,500, while a dislocation came in second place with an average claim cost of $97,100. Electric shock cost an average of $55,200, and a crush injury cost $54,600. Multiple trauma rounded out the top five with an average claim cost of $50,000.
The analysis measured costs, including time missed from work, as well. Strains and sprains, the most common causes of injury, resulted in an average of 57 days away from work, while fractures accounted for an average of 78 days away from work. Of the top five most common causes for injury, inflammation claimed the most days of missed work (coming in at 91 days).
This tells us that a workplace accident can injure anyone, and workers deal with the consequences daily. If you are injured in a workplace accident, your first step should be to contact an experienced law firm. The work injury attorneys at DiMarco Araujo Montevideo are committed to getting workers’ compensation for their clients. If you think you may be eligible, contact us for a free initial consultation today.