According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), private-industry employers reported 2.8 million nonfatal injuries in the workplace across the country in 2017. That translated to nearly three out of every 100 full-time employees being injured on the job.
Think about it this way. When you go to work at an office, construction site, hospital – or whatever the location is – in Oklahoma each day, there is nearly a 3 percent chance you won’t return home the same way you left.
What are the most common workplace injuries in the United States? Most of the things on this list can happen to anyone. They are, in reverse order of frequency, as follows:
- Violent acts. Workplace violence employee training is increasing.
- Repetitive motion injuries. Doing the same thing day every day – such as typing on the computer or using a tool repeatedly – can cause muscle strains or back pain, for example.
- Becoming entangled in a machine, such as your clothing or hair. Protective equipment should be used at all times.
- Automobile accidents. Safe driver training and policies can reduce the number of job-related accidents.
- Injured by walking into something. Employees must be careful, and employers should make sure all hazards are removed that someone could walk into without noticing, such as a filing cabinet.
- Hurt by a falling object. That can be a hammer falling from three stories on a construction site or canned goods from a high shelf, for example.
- Injured by slipping and tripping. Such incidents can cause everything from body trauma to muscle injuries.
- Falls from height. This could be from ladders or roofs.
- Slip-and-falls. Workers can be injured slipping on wet floors.
- Injuries from overexertion. Lifting, pushing or carrying objects can all cause strains to workers.
Most of these incidents are avoidable, but they still can cause serious injuries. If you get injured on the job, you are entitled to file for workers’ compensation. An attorney can assist you in that to make sure you receive what you are due.