About Workplace Injuries

The workplace is a common place for people to obtain injuries. About 2 million people per year are subject to severe or fatal injuries at their workplace. Some modes of occupation are more dangerous than others; however, there are still common injuries that can take place anywhere, like a slip-and-fall injury. Understanding the facts, common workplace injuries, and future prevention can help workers avoid future injuries.

The Facts

There are more than 2.78 million deaths per year that happen at a workplace, and over 374 million people who suffer work-related injuries that cause them to take extended absences from work, ultimately resulting into loss of wages. In fact, a worker is injured at their job every 7 seconds.

The most common work-related injuries are sprains, strains, or tears; soreness or pain; cuts, lacerations, or punctures.

Common Workplace Injuries

The most common workplace injuries occur from overextension, contact with objects and equipment, and slips, trips, and falls.

Overextensions happen from improperly lifting or lowering items. Repetitive motions can also cause overextensions. Workers are constantly in contact with objects and equipment, that’s unavoidable. Unfortunately, being exposed to objects and equipment can cause harm. For example, some workers are struck by an object or piece of equipment. Some workers can get caught in or compressed by equipment. Some workers can get struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material. Slip and falls frequently occur in any workplace. People usually slip-and-fall to a lower level or fall to the same level.

Common Jobs that Cause Workplace Injuries

Anyone can get injured at any workplace; however, there are five types of jobs where people typically get hurt the most. The top 5 are service (firefighter or police); transportation; manufacturing, installation, maintenance, or repair; and construction.

Future Prevention

Once an injury or fatality happens at a workplace, it’s essential for an investigation to take place to figure out what caused the incident, and how the event can be prevented in the future. It’s imperative that the focus of the investigation remains focused on identifying and correcting causes, not faulting or blaming anyone. This method will improve workplace morale and increase productivity. It’s recommended that all staff participate in the investigation, not just supervisors. To discover the root of the incident, the workplace staff must look past the immediate cause of an incident.

Although workplace injuries and fatalities are common and can happen to anyone at any time, there are preventative measures that can take place. For example, to avoid a slip-and-fall injuries, employers should make sure the workplace has a dry floor at all times, or a sign placed by a wet floor. To prevent overextension, employees should make sure to bend their knees before lifting and lowering, and to also avoid moving while doing so. To avoid being injured by an object or piece of equipment, workers should always wear proper protective gear, and always be aware of hazardous or harmful objects in their surroundings.

Los Angeles Injury Lawyer

If you’ve been injured, please contact our experienced lawyers. For a free consultation, call the Los Angeles Injury Group at (310) 954-7248 to received a no-cost evaluation of your case and discuss how best to proceed forward.