Accidents and Dangerous Occupations

• July 15, 2024
• Attorney David Mann
• Workplace Accidents

We’ve all heard the phrase “accidents happen,” but it’s not quite that simple. Accidents always have a cause, and this cause can often be tracked back to its source. Whenever someone does something they should not have done, or fails to do something they should have done, harmful accidents can result.

People cause accidents and people can prevent them, whether at home or on the job. While many workplace injuries, such as slip and fall accidents or machinery accidents, fall under the scope of workers’ compensation and do not involve employer liability, workers injured in these situations may still be entitled to file suit against other parties who bear responsibility. Such claims can provide a valuable supplement to workers’ compensation benefits.

In this post, we look at the prevalence of workplace accidents and explain how they arise.

Workplace Accident Statistics

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) survey on employer-reported workplace injuries and illnesses, there were 2.8 million nonfatal occupational injury and illness cases in the private sector in 2022. According to the survey, the private industries with the highest rates of workplace injury, in order, were:

• Transportation and material moving
• Service
• Production
• Healthcare (practitioners and technical)
• Installation, maintenance, and repair
• Sales
• Construction and extraction
• Office and administrative support
• Management, business, and financial
• Education, legal, community service, arts, and media.

There was an annual total of 5,486 fatal workplace injuries in 2022, making the overall rate of civilian fatal work injury 3.7 per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers.

Most Common Workplace Accidents in the U.S.

We’ve worked on cases involving nearly every kind of workplace injury imaginable. However, there are certain types of accidents that we see over and over again.

If you’ve suffered an injury from one of these accidents in the workplace, you should speak with a lawyer regarding your potential workers’ compensation entitlements. Remember, your employer doesn’t need to have done anything wrong for you to get workers’ comp; you just need to have sustained the injury because of your working activities.

Slips, Trips, and Falls

Slips, trips, and falls are among the most prevalent workplace accidents. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), falls accounted for 865 workplace deaths in 2022, and hundreds of thousands more workers were injured badly enough from falls to need at least one day off work.

These accidents often arise from wet or uneven surfaces, cluttered walkways, and poor lighting. Employers in industries where slip and fall accidents are common (such as the restaurant business) have a duty to keep floors dry and provide warnings about wet floors, install non-slip mats, and ensure lighting is adequate on their premises.

Overexertion and Muscle Strains

According to the BLS survey referenced above, overexertion is the most common cause of workplace injury. However, while these cases are more common than other types of workplace accidents, they are proportionately less likely to result in time away from work than other incidents.

Proper training on lifting techniques, ergonomic equipment, and regular breaks can help mitigate the risk of overexertion.

Struck by Objects or Equipment

“Struck-by” accidents are another common cause of workplace injuries. These incidents often occur in construction, manufacturing, and warehouse settings where machinery, tools, and materials are frequently in motion.

Safety measures such as personal protective equipment (PPE), machine guards, and clear communication can lower the risk of accidents like these.

Caught In/Between Machinery

Workers can suffer severe injuries when caught in machinery, or between machinery and other objects. This type of accident is obviously particularly common in industries that require the use of heavy machinery, such as manufacturing and construction.

Vehicle-Related Accidents

Road accidents are among the most common causes of injuries in the U.S. in general; people who drive for work are at an even greater risk of suffering harm in a car or truck collision.

If you’ve been involved in a vehicle accident at work, you may be entitled to additional compensation alongside workers’ comp. Say, for example, you were making a delivery for your company when you were T-boned by a reckless driver who ran a red light; you may be entitled to sue this person for noneconomic and punitive damages (neither of which you’ll get from workers’ compensation).

The rules in this area are complex, though, which is why it’s important to speak with an attorney if you’re in this situation.

A Georgia Work Accident Attorney Who Will Fight For Your Rights

Going to work should not be a treacherous experience, even if yours is an inherently dangerous job. If you are trying to put your life back together after a work-related injury, if you have lost a loved one in a fatal workplace accident, or if you have any questions about this topic, you can find out more by discussing it with one of the attorneys at The Mann Law Firm.

Contact us today by calling (478) 742-3381 or filling out our online contact form. We offer free initial consultations, and we charge for our services on a no-win, no-fee basis. Unless you secure compensation from your case, we won’t charge you a cent.