It is important to be aware of the most common workplace injuries for many reasons. First, it can help you avoid them by taking extra precautions when working in your office or home.
Second, if you are injured at work, knowing what type of injury you have will help determine how serious it is and whether or not you should seek medical attention.
In this article, we will talk about some of the most common workplace injuries so that you know what to watch out for.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Typically, most injuries in the workplace are slip and fall accidents.
These types of accidents account for more than about half of all reported on-the-job injuries each year.
Slip and fall accidents are one of the most common causes of injury at work because they can easily happen when you least expect them.
It usually occurs due to wet floors or lack of floor maintenance, poor lighting conditions, poorly placed tools/objects that obstruct your path (ex: cords), or if there is an object protruding from the wall like staples sticking out or nails coming up through carpeting.
Common areas where these incidents occur include construction sites, warehouses/storage facilities, retail stores (especially during winter months), schools, and home offices.
It is a good idea to have a clearly marked sign posted in the areas most prone to slip and fall accidents so that your employees can be aware of these potential hazards beforehand.
Dangerous Machinery Accidents
Another common workplace injury is machinery accidents.
In most cases, these types of injuries are from employees using equipment incorrectly or not following safety procedures while operating the machine.
Machine accidents can include items such as table saws, band saws, wood lathes, grinders, and drill presses among other things.
Most people have a tendency to get overconfident when it comes to working with machines that they know how to operate well enough so take precautions in case something goes wrong during a job.
Vehicle-Related Workplace Accidents
Vehicle-related workplace accidents account for a significant amount of reported injuries and fatalities in most workplaces.
This is mainly because most workers are not trained to handle dangerous situations involving vehicles such as trucks, forklifts, or other types of equipment that have the capability to move on their own.
When using heavy machinery like this it’s important to be aware of your surroundings at all times so you can avoid any unexpected collisions with people or objects near you.
Fire and Explosions
Workplace fires and explosions are some of the most dangerous workplace hazards because they can cause serious injury or even death in some situations.
The most common causes of fire and explosion accidents are either electrical problems, overheated equipment, chemical reactions with flammable materials, unsafe storage practices for combustible goods (ex: oily rags), cigarette smoking near an open flame source like a boiler room door.
It is important to hire a workers compensation attorney if you have been affected by any of these injuries.
These are the Most Common Workplace Injuries
Ultimately, these injuries tend to happen when workplace officials don’t properly protect their employees. Are you interested in learning more about the most common workplace injuries? If so, continue reading our blog for more helpful articles.
