One of the universal truths of life is the fact that we all need to work for a living (unless you’re the child of a wealthy baron or a celebrity kid). And since we have to earn a living, we will spend a large portion of our time at some type of workplace. It might be an office, a warehouse, or a construction site.
Another truth of working is the fact that no matter how careful we may be, and how closely we follow safety protocol, accidents still happen. Sometimes it’s due to not paying proper attention, other times it might be caused by faulty equipment. Whatever it is, worker’s comp coverage is essential for anybody who owns or operates pretty much any type of business.
Understanding the most common injuries in the workplace is a great way to help avoid them in the future.
With that in mind, we put together a list of the 6 most frequent injuries suffered on the job, or you can learn more at https://www.employers.com/blog/2019/7-common-workers-compensation-claim-injuries/:
1. Strains and Sprains
Strains are muscles or tendons that have been overextended or torn. Sprains are ligaments that have been stretched or torn. Any type of pulling, twisting, or falling can cause these kinds of injuries. At work, improper lifting techniques are oftentimes the culprit of these injuries.
2. Various Types of Burns
Most people think only of fire when considering burn injuries. However, there are numerous ways a person’s skin can be burned; this includes chemicals, electrical current, radiation, steam, and others. Workers comp claims for this type of accident are very common.
3. Simple or Compound Bone Fractures
There are multiple ways bones can be broken on any type of job site, even white-collar workplaces. Just about any trip and fall in the wrong place can accomplish this, although these injuries are much more common in jobs that involve manual labor and/or heavy equipment usage.
4. Minor to Moderate Lacerations
Lacerations are different from minor cuts in the sense that they refer to deeper tears in the skin or flesh. They too can occur in any type of industry but are most common in fields such as restaurant and food service, machine shops, manufacturing, and other similar vocations.
5. Various Eye Injuries
These are especially dangerous as they can have a lifelong impact on workers if there is damage to their vision. While eye injuries can often be avoided with the proper use of safety glasses, accidents do still happen and this is a common one.
6. Continuous or Cumulative Trauma
This kind of injury is the result of a repetitive task that impacts a certain muscle group or area of the body repeatedly over time. It is most common in manual labor fields.
Worker’s Comp Is Necessary for Dealing with These and Other Incidents
Don’t let an injury at your workplace become an even bigger issue simply because you don’t have the proper insurance coverage. While some accidents may be minor and can be taken care of quickly and easily, others may not be.
If an incident on the job leads to serious medical concerns, expensive hospital bills, and lengthy recovery periods, you need the peace of mind that quality worker’s compensation plans bring both you and your employees.
