People suffer from injuries on the job every day. In fact, a worker is hurt on the job every seven seconds in America. That means that 510 injuries happen each hour and over 12,600 happen every day.
Injuries are frustrating across the board. Employers are left without an employee that they need, which costs hours of production days lost. In 2017, 104 million production days were lost because of work-related injuries alone. For employees, it’s also irritating to get hurt. They miss time on the job, which affects their income, and they also have to deal with the injury itself.
What are the top three workplace injuries?
The top three workplace injuries include:
- Overexertion
- Coming into contact with equipment and objects
- Slips, trips and falls
Each of these can be easily avoided. For example, overexertion from repetitive motions can be prevented by giving enough breaks and providing ergonomic equipment. Similarly, slips can be avoided by making sure floors or flooring items are even and flat. Good housekeeping practices, like closing drawers, will also help prevent trips or falls.
What’s the risk of an injury at your job?
You can get hurt in any job that you may work, but there are some that are more likely to result in injuries. If you work in the service industry, you’re the most likely to suffer an injury at work that leads to days away from the job. The transportation and shipping, installation, maintenance and repair, construction and manufacturing and production industries also have a high rate of injuries.
If you are hurt on the job, remember that you have the potential to file a claim. You can seek compensation and coverage for your hospital bills, lost wages and other losses.