Thousands of workplace injuries happen every year, some of which result in serious injuries—that is why both small and large businesses must take the necessary safety precautions.
However, despite our levels of preparedness, we still fall victim to workplace injuries, so employers need to take insurance coverage for their employees to keep an eye on these accidents. This article looks at common workplace injury claims so you can keep an eye on them.
- Falls, Slips, and Trips
Falls, slips, and trips account for about 33 per cent of all accidents that happen at a workplace, making them the leading cause of all workplace injury claims. The injuries resulting from falling, slipping, or tripping include neck and back injuries, head injuries, cuts, broken bones, pulled muscles, and sprains.
The common reasons behind the occurrence of slip accidents can be oily and wet surfaces, occasional spills, and weather hazards such as icy steps, loose rags, and walkways. Trips can also result from wrinkled mats and carpets, clutter, poor lighting, uneven walking surfaces, and uncovered cables.
You can prevent the occurrence of these kinds of injuries by wearing proper footwear, constructing high-quality walking surfaces, and good housekeeping. Apart from these measures, employees must report any obstruction, clutter, spillage, and any sign of damage.
- Vehicle-Related Accidents
There are all kinds of vehicles at a workplace ranging from small cars to large trucks, with many meant to carry heavy loads. Many workplace vehicle injury claims result from falling off the vehicle, being struck by objects falling from a truck or a moving car, or getting stuck in an overturned vehicle. Some essential measures to prevent such accidents are accessing where accidents commonly occur and identifying the most vulnerable employees.
- Explosions and Fire
Fires and explosion accidents usually result from open flames, poorly stored flammable materials, or leaking gas lines. Most injury claims reported from a fire are respiratory system problems, potential disfigurements, and various degrees of burns. Primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary blasts also result in severe employee injuries.
- Being Caught or Struck by Moving Machinery
There are various moving parts when heavy machinery is in operation, whether in factories, farms, or even at a construction site. The operator and the people around these machineries are vulnerable to being caught up or struck by the moving parts. Accidents resulting from moving machinery are the most disastrous at the workplace, and there we should highly safeguard ourselves.
- Repetitive Overexertion and Stress Injuries
Most injury claims arising from Repetitive overexertion and stress are Musculoskeletal disorders. These injury claims cost businesses nearly $7 billion annually, with many days of work lost. Musculoskeletal disorders often lead to low productivity among employees and billions spent on health benefits.
Summary
Several workplace injury claims are reported each year. However, some accidents are common to virtually every kind of business, and we should be aware of them so that we can take the necessary measures for prevention.
Many workplace injury claims result from falls, slips, trips, vehicle-related accidents, explosions, fire, and being struck or caught by moving machinery. Other injury claims result from repetitive overexertion and stress injuries.
