There are more than 4 million reported workplace accidents a year, according to the National Safety Council (NSC). With statistics like that, it’s important to do all that you can to keep yourself and your employees safe.
You might be wondering what the most common workplace injuries are and how are these workplace accidents are caused.
Keep reading to learn more about work-related accidents and workplace safety.
Jobs With the Most Workplace Accidents
There are jobs that, just by the nature of what they do, will be more at risk for work-related accidents to happen. Before looking at which workplace accidents are the most common, we will look at which occupations are in the top five for having the most fatal workplace injuries by sector in 2018. These include:
- Construction
- Transportation and warehousing
- Professional and business services
- Agriculture, fishing, and hunting
- Government
While these may be the most common, work-related accidents can happen at any job, so it’s important for all employers to take precautions. If you or an employee do happen to be injured at work, contact a no-fault doctor to help get you back to feeling your best as quickly as possible.
Most Common Workplace Injuries
The most common injuries in the workplace might surprise you. Let’s take a look at some of them.
Overexertion and Bodily Reaction Injuries
These injuries are often caused by excessive physical effort like lifting or carrying items, pushing, or throwing. They can also be caused by doing the same task repeatedly, which causes strain on the same body part doing the motion multiple times. An example of this would be the repeated motion of a hairdresser’s wrist while cutting hair.
Slips and Falls
Even if you don’t work somewhere that is prone to having spills on the floor, like a restaurant, a slip or fall can happen. Injuries can happen even from tripping and catching yourself before falling. A common workplace accident in the construction industry is falling off of a ladder while working.
Coming into Contact with Objects or Equipment
This covers a broad category of possible injuries including a worker being crushed in equipment, striking against an object, and a moving object striking against a worker.
Preventive Measures
Now that we are aware of some of the most common work injuries, we need to know what we can do to prevent them.
A great way to keep everyone safe is to implement a health and safety plan that is overseen and enforced by management. Educating employees is vital and by teaching them what safety measures are in place.
If you work in an industry that benefits from personal protection equipment, like goggles or safety shoes, be sure to provide those items to your employees and routinely check to be sure they are being used.
Final Thoughts on Workplace Injuries
We can all do our part in following safety rules to minimize the most common workplace injuries.
Make sure that guidelines and regulations are in place and readily available for employees today!
