While most workers are cautious and follow safety guidelines on the job, accidents can and do happen frequently. The National Safety Council (NSC) reports that a worker is injured every seven seconds.
These accidents often result from an employer’s failure to take preventative action or maintain sufficient safety standards. Get the facts about needless workplace injuries below.
The Top Three Workplace Injury Events
Getting injured at work can limit your ability to perform your regular duties. The top three workplace injury events that result in lost workdays according to the NSC are as follows:
- Overexertion. Accounting for 33.54% of injuries, overexertion is usually caused by lifting or lowering heavy objects and by repetitive motions.
- Contact with objects and equipment. Injuries resulting from being struck by or caught in equipment or objects account for 26% of total injuries. Injuries inflicted by collapsing structures, equipment, or material are also part of this category.
- Slips, trips, and falls. Falls to a lower level and falls on the same level account for 25.8% of injuries. Things such as ladders placed on even surfaces as well as slippery or poorly-maintained floors commonly cause these accidents.
Occupations With the Highest Number of Workplace Injuries
Workplace accidents tend to be most common in blue-collar occupations such as transportation and manufacturing, but it is also common to be injured on the job as a restaurant server or cook, orderly at a nursing home or hospital, or nurse, among others. Even working a typical white-collar office job, repetitive motion injuries can be a big concern.
Here are the top five occupations with the largest number of workplace injuries resulting in days away from work, according to the NSC:
- Service (including firefighters and police)
- Transportation and Shipping
- Manufacturing and Production
- Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
- Construction
Getting the Maximum Benefits That You Deserve
A workplace injury can lead to medical bills, lost wages, and an overall decrease in quality of life. This is why it's important to call a workers' compensation attorney as soon as you can after being injured at work.
Insurance companies will always try to get you to settle for the minimum amount of compensation possible, if they decide to compensate you at all. A workers’ comp attorney will help you fight the insurance company and get you the compensation you need and deserve.
The lawyers at the Law Offices of Humberto Izquierdo, Jr., PC have the experience necessary to help you obtain the best possible outcome in your workers’ comp case. Call us at 770-888-8901 for a free case evaluation. We serve clients in Marietta, Cumming, and Atlanta, Georgia. Our lawyers and staff are bilingual in Spanish and English.
