Most people don’t go to work each day with the thought of getting injured in their minds, except for hazardous occupation employees. But injuries are more common than need be. Most are preventable and should not even happen.
Safety at work benefits employees in every facet of their lives. The goal of every business, industry, and worker should be to create a work environment free of hazards that lead to common workplace injuries. With approximately 13,000 workers suffering injuries each day, it’s reason enough to examine the most common injuries and how they affect our lives.
Slips, Trips, and Falls
Injuries caused by falls are the second highest reason for unintentional deaths. Falls are dangerous, particularly in specific industrial environments.
Construction workers experience a significant risk of death from falling because of working from extreme heights. Safety harnesses and lock-out tag-out procedures are essential to prevent unnecessary injuries.
Slips can happen suddenly, sending an unexpected worker to the ground. Arms, hands, and the head are often more susceptible to slip, trip, and fall injuries. A natural response is to reach out to break the fall and reduce impact, often causing limb damage.
Ergonomic Injuries
Musculoskeletal system disorders are a health issue for one-quarter of the world’s population. Those numbers are pretty staggering. Musculoskeletal disorders are often triggered by constant repetitive motions in stationary or compromising posture.
Extensive periods required at a desk can lead to these disorders, and as a whole, more people sit for longer increments of time than ever before.
Burns
Working with chemicals, electricity, heat, and steam increases your odds of being burned at work. Statistics reported by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) report injuries related to burns account for over 5,000 workplace injuries each year. Young and African American workers are more likely to be at risk of workplace burn injuries.
Workers suffering burns on the job were more likely to suffer from electrical burns, leading to death.
Repetitive Motion Injuries
Everyday actions can lead to huge costs and impact on the US workforce. Repetitive motion injuries are caused by repeated movement, friction, trauma, and diseases such as gout. The elbow, hips, knees, bicep, rotator cuff, and hands and wrists can suffer tremendously from these motions.
Three commonly known injuries result from repetitive motion.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome: Compression of the nerve traveling through the wrists leads to numbness, tingling, and neuropathy
- Bursitis: Small sacks of bursa that lubricate between the bone and tendon become inflamed
- Tendinitis: Caused by inflammation and is often concentrated where the bone and tendon connect; Males tend to be more susceptible to this disorder
Crush Injuries
Mechanical equipment or machinery can crush any part of the body, particularly arms, legs, hands, and feet. These injuries are a common cause of amputation. Crush injuries lead to muscle breakdown caused by the release of toxins in the muscle cell components.
Compartment syndrome is one effect of crush injuries, occurring most often in the legs, restricting the flow of oxygen and blood, causing the tissue to die, and even leading to death.
Chemical Exposure
Any chemical that can create a health or physical hazard is known as a hazardous chemical. Chemical hazard exposure can be challenging to identify because chemicals can take gas, liquid, and solid forms. Combining water or air with some of these substances can change their chemical makeup and lead to further dangers.
Chemical injuries and damage can be complicated to treat because of their potential to burn the eyes, mucous membranes, lungs, and throat. You don’t have to be a scientist to suffer chemical burns. Jobs in the cleaning industry can pose a heightened risk of chemical exposure.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Multiple types of injuries can result from vehicle accidents in the workplace. Not only are vehicles used on the job site, but the transportation industry is driven by trucks. A full range of injuries can occur in the workplace due to vehicle accidents, including many of the previously mentioned injuries.
Workplace Injuries Can Change Your Life
Workplace injuries have the capacity to alter millions of lives, changing personal dynamics, family structures, and economics. Workplace injuries are costly to everyone. Take a few extra moments to ensure your workplace is safe for you and your coworkers. In the event of a work accident that causes a serious injury, a Riverside workers’ compensation lawyer can help you file a claim for compensation.
