The Most Common Workplace Injuries Explained

According to the most recent available data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 4,764 fatal work injuries in 2020. Construction, transport, and roof anchor point installation warehousing remain the most dangerous injuries to work it.

That doesn’t mean you can drop your guard if you work in a different sector. There’s unlimited potential for accidents in any workplace.

Fatal accidents aren’t your only concern, either. Non-fatal workplace injuries can cause permanent disabilities, harm your production levels, and erode employee job satisfaction.

These are the most common employee injuries you need to guard against in modern times, as well as some tips for avoiding them.

Slip and Fall Workplace Injuries 

These incidents remain the number one cause of both fatal and non-fatal workplace accidents, as they can happen anywhere. Harnesses and other fall prevention PPE can help keep your workers safe from injury in the event of falls.

However, behavior based safety training is the best way to ensure a safe work environment for all.

These common-sense measures make safety everyone’s responsibility. For instance, they can prevent unnecessary incidents caused by employees walking on a wet floor when there isn’t a warning sign in place. 

Injured Employees Due to Overexertion

Overexertion rarely causes fatalities, but it’s an extremely widespread type of worker injury. In these cases, either a single event or repetitive motions can result in injured employees.

Some of the most common causes of overexertion include:

• Lifting supplies or inventory
• Loading vehicles
• Carrying patients
• Working on an assembly line
• Sitting at a desk

In this way, just about every worker runs the risk of injuring themselves while on duty.

Ergonomic furniture and tech can help avoid these maladies in an office environment. Yet, training in correct physical work procedures is the best safeguard against employees becoming injured at work. 

Injuries Due to Impacts

A stubbed toe is one thing, but losing a digit or a limb from coming into contact with an industrial machine is quite another. Common impact-related injuries include:

• Unguarded machinery
• Falling materials, debris, or tools
• Becoming tangled in wire or gears
• Heavy equipment tipping over
• Excessive vibrations from tools or machinery
• Bumping into things
• Contact with hard surfaces
• Collision with a vehicle

Unauthorized and untrained personnel must never operate any equipment they aren’t familiar with. 

Training in vigilance and adherence to safety signs is vital to avoid the uninitiated from injuring themselves at work. Regular testing for alcohol and drugs can prevent impaired people from causing incidents by operating machinery or vehicles. 

Surviving in the Workplace Today 

Regardless of how safe you think your premises are, workplace injuries will occur if your employees are oblivious to safe working procedures.

Safety guidelines aren’t just a legal requirement, they’re a survival skill. So take the time to teach your employees how to maintain a safe work environment.

It’s the easiest way to avoid unpleasant work disruptions, no matter what.

Would you like to find out more about how to ensure your business runs like clockwork? Browse our blog for a wide range of business-related tips and topics.