On-the-job injuries happen in a variety of different ways, but some are more common than others. Below, we examined the ten most common injuries that lead to a workers’ compensation claim.
- Assaults and Violent Acts – This may be more common among police officers in law enforcement, but it can also happen in an office setting. Pranks or office politics can lead to pushing and shoving.
- Repetitive motion – Ben Heimerl, a workers’ compensation attorney, said his firm has seen numerous “repetitive activity” injuries. People tasked with constant bending of movements are prone to repetitive motion injuries.
- Machinery Accidents – Accidents involving heavy machinery are common among industrial workers and farmers. Construction workers are also tasked with dealing with heavy equipment on a daily basis, which exposes them to a greater potential for injury.
- Highway Accidents – Although the coming-and-going rule usually absolves a company of liability if a person driving to or from work, employees in the transportation injury suffer traffic accidents every day. Truck and delivery drivers make up a high portion of these work comp claims.
- Hitting an Object – This type of personal injury occurs across all sorts of industries. These claims occur when a person accidently runs into a hard surface, like a wall, door, table, or chair.
- Object Strikes Person – In these cases, a moving object strikes a person. This most commonly occurs when a person drops an object from a higher level and it strikes a co-worker. These injuries are common in outdoor industries, like construction, roofing, or painting.
- Bodily Reaction – Bodily reaction injuries are similar to slips and trips, but the person doesn’t fall to the ground during a bodily reaction accident. These usually involve a person hurting their back or knees when they catch themselves after they trip or slip.
- Falls to a lower level – Falls from a high height oftentimes result in some of the most devastating injuries. These injuries occur when a person falls down a staircase, off a ladder, or from a roof. Falls from great heights tend to involved broken bones.
- Slips, Trips, and Same-Level Falls – Falls from slipping on a wet floor are one of the most common injuries that result in a workers’ compensation claim. These types of injuries are especially prevalent during the winter months, when co-workers drag snow into the building on the bottom of their shoes.
- Overexertion – Overexertion leads to more on-the-job injuries than any other ailment, mainly because it has a rather broad definition. Injuries that occur while pulling, pushing, lifting, moving, carrying, or throwing are all classified as overexertion injuries. These types of injuries are common across all industries.
Injuries come in all shapes and sizes. It’s not just the construction workers who get injured. The nursing field, assembly line workers, and individuals in the transportation industry all suffer workplace injuries. We see many injuries caused by job stresses such as repetitive activity, heavy lifting, bending, kneeling, stooping, and crouching.
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If your injury was caused by your work activities in any way, it probably falls under workers’ compensation. If you have questions or concerns regarding your workers’ comp claim, call or text the attorneys at 612-INJURED at (612) 465-8733 for a free consultation.
