Due to safety regulations, employers continually make moves to protect their employees. Not only are workers’ compensation claims costly, but when you care about those on your workforce, job-related injuries can also be devastating. Injuries suffered on the job can affect overall morale. And depending on the situation, overall productivity and sales can suffer as well.
Regardless of how hard employers try to make the workplace safe, accidents can happen anywhere. According to a recent list of the top 10 causes of disabling injuries during 2018, the cost of workplace injuries to United States businesses exceeded $58 billion last year.
The reported causes of workplace injuries include:
- Repetitive motion – Often found with constant typing or assembly tasks, conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis cost U.S. employers $1.5 billion over the course of one year.
- Struck against an object – Companies paid $2 billion for injuries incurred by accidents like walking into an open drawer.
- Caught in or compressed by equipment – Gear and roller injuries amounted to $2.1 billion.
- Slips and trips – Excluding falls, there was $2.3 billion related to injuries from tripping over something in the workplace.
- Roadway incidents – Accidents including vehicles cost businesses $3.2 billion.
- Exertion and bodily reactions – Including anything from reaching, twisting, bending, kneeling, crawling and walking put a $4.2 billion strain on employers.
- Struck by an object or equipment – Falling overhead objects included a $5.3 billion cost of injuries.
- Falls to a lower level– Injuries related to falls from ladders and platforms resulted in a cost of $5.9 billion.
- Falls on the same level – You might be surprised to learn that slip and fall accidents were the second most expensive cause of workplace injuries last year. These cost companies $11.2 billion.
- Overexertion – Carrying $13.7 billion of job-related injuries in 2018, physical exertion such as lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling and holding comprised the category of costliest causes of disabling injuries at work.
Depending on the situation, if you get hurt at work, you may be able to hold your employer accountable for injuries suffered on the job. However, it is in your best interest to follow your employer’s safety rules and regulations. This can help you continue to promote a positive environment and increased production for your employer. And in so doing, you may also save yourself from the pain and worry related to preventable injuries.
