Workplace Accidents – 10 Most Common Workplace Injuries
Unfortunately, workplace accidents are not so uncommon occurrence.
As expected they happen more often in a more dangerous work environment like construction areas, lumberjacking, and fishing.
But other workplaces are no exception like average offices or professional environments like office buildings. Basically injuries happen across all industries, the only difference is the rate at which they occur.
Injuries can happen in places where we least expect and can be a result of an employer or employee negligence. Let’s look at the list of most common workplace accidents, and the 10 most common workplace injuries.
10. Driving-related injuries
This is related to driving heavy machinery in storage, warehouses, or pretty much and industrial sectors where these machines are required.
These accidents don’t happen that often and they can be kept at a minimum with proper staff training and use of adequate machinery.
9. On the Job Violent Acts
Attacks and disputes resulted as office politics happen rarely and they mostly occur in stressful work environments where people work closely together.
It is important to keep employee diligence and have some sort of supervision over your workers.
8. Repetitive Motion Injuries
These are often overlooked injuries as they happen over the course of time and it takes a while for the individual to actually notice the injury and realize the cause of injury.
These injuries can be resulted in working in an unnatural position doing a repetitive movement or even just sitting in front of the computer for long hours, which can cause back pain, muscle strains, or carpal tunnel syndrome.
Source: Unsplash
7. Work-Related Hearing loss
Working in an extremely loud environment can cause noise-induced hearing loss, which the sufferer may notice after decades of work.
Ways to protect against this is to wear protective gear that will protect your ears.
6. Walking Into – Accidents
Well this pretty much happens everywhere, the busy lifestyle of the 21st century makes us lose focus, and occasionally run into objects.
This is a type of accident in the offices that often cause: head, knee, neck, and other types of injuries.
The only way to minimize these accidents is for people to have more focus, which is kinda hard to achieve.
5. Injuries From Falling Objects
Objects can fall on you from various places or drop by someone. Head injuries are mostly results of these accidents.
To prevent this from happening, employee diligence and employers’ focus to keep the workplace free from hazards is necessary.
Also wearing safety gear like hard hats can keep employees safe from injuries in places where these types of accidents happen more often.
4. Reaction Injuries
People can suffer injuries when tripping or slipping without even falling. They can strain their muscles or body trauma when they move all of a sudden to prevent themselves from falling.
These injuries can be quite serious so be careful when crossing slippery surfaces or places where you can easily trip.
3. Falling From Heights
These accidents can be very serious with some cases resulting in fatal injury. This usually happens in an elevated work environment like rooftops, stairways, and ladders.
This is mostly associated with the construction industry. The cause of these accidents can be negligence or faulty equipment, and it is recommended to use proper safety gear, staff training, and employee diligence.
2. Slipping/Tripping
The second most frequent workplace accident. This mainly happens by people slipping on wet surfaces or tripping on something lying on the floor.
Employees need to pay good attention to their surroundings and the employer needs to make sure that everything is in order and safe for work.
1. Overexertion Injuries
This is by far the most common type of injuries at work, it involves lifting, pushing, carrying, pulling, and other types of moving heavy objects.
Overexertion is not the only number only the most consistent injury, over the course of years but also the most costly work accident.
“The overexertion accidents cost over 3$ million in compensation claims yearly.”
Note that providing safety gear and proper training to your employee to where its needed will greatly reduce the number of workplace accidents, and these 10 most common workplace injuries.