Work injuries in Oklahoma cost employees and their families in lost working hours and medical bills. Employers also lose money from the lost productivity that can result from workplace accidents. According to data that was gathered in 2013 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employers lost almost $62 billion due to serious workplace accidents.
Some workplace accidents are particularly expensive for employers and account for most of the annual cost of disabling work accidents. Over $51 billion of workplace accident costs in 2013 were the result of the top 10 most common disabling workplace injury causes. Those injury causes include falls, overexertion and repetitive motion. To prevent expensive workplace accidents, employers should make safety a core value rather than just a priority.
Thinking of safety as a core value means that an employer will base all of its decisions around safety rather than simply considering safety after decisions have already been made. Many serious accidents occur at work sites simply because employees did not take a few minutes to clear a cluttered area or place a warning sign to prevent a slip-and-fall. During the hot summer months, employers must also consider the health risks of high temperatures for workers who do their jobs outside.
An injured worker’s family may feel the costs of a workplace accident immediately as lost wages and unexpected medical expenses make it more difficult for them to pay their bills. As long as a worker can show that they were injured while performing job duties, they may file a workers’ compensation claim. If a third party was at fault for the workplace injuries, the injured worker may prefer to file a personal injury claim.