You spend the bulk of your time at work, so it stands to reason that you want to be prepared for the worst. With this mind, we’ll teach you about the most common workplace injuries across America, so you can take extra care during your next workday.
Slips and Trips
These kinds of injuries occur most often in manufacturing or manual labor jobs that require lots of movement. People get careless, things spill, and someone ends up paying the price for it with a bad fall.
Crashes and Collisions
Accidents resulting from the mishandling of machinery are quite common. Each workplace has its own safety precautions in place, but accidents do still happen. As shown by data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, construction workers have the greatest risk for workplace fatality—most of which occur as a result of highway collisions.
Repetitive Stress Injuries
Repetitive stress injury (RSI) is becoming increasingly more common—especially at desk jobs. The overuse of certain muscle groups causes excess strain and leads to such conditions as tendonitis and carpal tunnel. Repetitive stress injuries can occur in any setting.
Lacerations
It’s difficult to accurately measure the amount of workplace lacerations because paper cuts are so common and often go undocumented. Nevertheless, many jobs require employees to work with dangerous machines that could lead to accidental injuries. Such injuries range from mild cuts and bruises to full-blown amputations. When working with machines, it’s always important to follow direct safety precautions. This is the best way to avoid injury on the job.
Muscle Strains
If you frequently lift, move, and fix heavy items, you’ll likely develop aches and pains all over your body. Your back and shoulder area are most at risk. The two main causes of muscle strains are excessive force and awkward posture. Make sure you follow optimal workplace safety practices, and make sure you don’t put too much pressure on your back and shoulders.