While safety is a vitally important aspect of a workplace, a worker is injured on the job every seven seconds. According to The National Safety Council (NSC), 510 workers are injured per hour in the United States, approximately 12,600 workers per day, 88,500 per week, and around 4,600,000 workers are injured annually.
Fortunately, according to the Atlanta workers comp lawyer Hansford, relief is available to all employees if injured. This compensation is a no-fault, government-mandated insurance that pays financial benefits to workers who are injured or disabled while on the job. What are the most common workers’ comp injuries, though?
The Most Common Workers’ Comp Injuries
Much is at stake if you are filing a workers’ comp claim. If you have been harmed on the job and can no longer perform, you need to support yourself and your family, and the last thing you need in these moments is the insurance company denying or delaying your claim.
Statistics have shown that most injuries in workers’ comp claims include the following but are not limited to:
Strains
Strains account for 30,06 percent of workers’ comp claims, and these injuries occur when a muscle or a tendon is stretched or torn. As stated by The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, strains can happen if you perform a repetitive task, such as pushing or pulling heavy items, lifting or working in an awkward posture, or reaching overhead.
Strains can include shoulder and knee injuries, incurred mainly in the construction, healthcare, and transportation industries.
Contusions
Contusions account for 20,83 percent of workers’ comp claims and can occur after suffering a fall or a bump to the body. While most bruises do not represent a significant cause for concern, if you feel severe pain, bruising, or swelling that starts within 30 minutes of suffering an injury, you might have a severe issue.
Lacerations
A laceration or a cut while on the job can occur if you use an inappropriate tool or a machine, a tool that has been in poor condition. Separately, you can suffer lacerations from machines with improperly adjusted guards or missing parts. These injuries can include skin abrasion or eye injuries and can happen to all workers. However, they are most frequently in laboratory and medical environments or construction sites. Overall, lacerations account for 11,79 percent of workers’ comp claims.
Sprains
Sprains represent 8,85 percent of all workers’ compensation claims. Sprains are very much similar to strains, but they occur when a ligament is either stretched or torn. As with strains, sprains can also result from repetitive tasks, such as pulling, pushing, or lifting heavy items, reaching overhead, or having awkward posture.
Punctures
You can suffer from puncture wounds if working with tools such as scissors, knives, or various items such as glass, nails, or splintered surfaces. Working with tools or machines that have broken glass, improperly handling metal shards, or dull blades, are risks that can result in puncture wounds. Puncture wounds for almost 5,50 percent of all claims.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Workplace Injuries?
Results from the same statistics have revealed that some of the most common causes of workplace injuries include the following:
- Material-handling accidents, which account for roughly 32 percent of all workers’ compensation claims
- Falls, slips, and trips account for 27.5 percent
- Being struck by an object or a piece of equipment, which represent 25.8 percent of all claims
- Accidents that include tools, accounting for 7 percent
- Transportation incidents cause 5.6 percent of workplace injuries
- Violence or other injuries caused by an animal or a person cause 5 percent of workplace injuries
- Cumulative trauma or repetitive motion, for 4 percent
While these workplace events primarily focus on injuries on the job, it is vital to remember that you can also get sick from your job. Some examples of occupational diseases include lung diseases (caused by exposure to coal dust), mesothelioma (due to asbestos exposure), lead poisoning, and radon sickness.
If you have suffered from an infectious disease acquired while on the job or an occupational disease that developed in time, you should consider filing a workers’ comp claim. That way, the insurance company will pay for your medical expenses, reimbursing your lost wages. However, such a thing might be tricky without having a workers’ comp attorney fighting for your rights. A workers’ compensation attorney can obtain the benefits you are rightfully entitled to.
