Suffering an injury at work may not be something you worry about on a regular basis. You might instead be focused on meeting deadlines, performing your job properly and doing what you need to do get home at the end of the day.
However, every job comes with risks to workers’ safety. And these risks have the potential to cause severe injuries and illnesses that threaten a person’s health and livelihood. While you may not stop and think about these hazards every day, it can be wise to at least know what the most common workplace accidents are so you can hopefully avoid one.
Liberty Mutual Insurance recently published a list of the most common causes of disabling injuries in the workplace. This list includes the following four scenarios that could affect any worker in any environment:
- Overexertion – These injuries were the most common. They include those stemming from lifting, pulling, carrying or throwing objects. Other common causes of overexertion injuries stem from bodily reactions to crawling, twisting, climbing and walking.
- Falls – Same-level falls, like those that occur on slippery or uneven flooring, came in second on the list. However, other types of falls were in the top 10. These include falls to lower levels and being struck by a falling object. Injuries caused by resisting falls were also common.
- Vehicle and equipment accidents – Motor vehicle accidents are common causes of work-related injuries. These can occur when people drive as part of their job, not necessarily when people drive to and from work. Other equipment causes injuries, too, from rollers and gears to construction vehicles.
- Repetitive motion injuries – Performing the same physical task repeatedly can cause injuries over time. If you type all day or work in construction or on an assembly line, you could be at risk of developing a disabling injury as a result of repetitive motions.
These types of injuries are among the most common in U.S. workplaces, and they have the potential to be disabling. Should one of these incidents occur, injured workers should take seriously their legal options and possible financial remedies.