Every day in New York, people go to work and place themselves in situations that sometimes lead to accidents and injuries. In the interest of identifying common sources of workplace injuries, the nation’s largest workers’ compensation provider, Travelers Companies Inc., analyzed workers’ compensation claims that had been submitted between 2010 and 2014.
This review of over 1.5 million incidents produced insights about when injuries happen. The handling of materials, usually within the manufacturing and retail sectors, topped the list. Claims by injured workers fell into this category 32 percent of the time. Slips, trips and falls created the second most common injury source at 16 percent of claims. About 10 percent of claims involved a person being struck by an object or colliding with one, which was the third most common source of injury.
The type of injury also substantially influenced the amount of time that workers needed for recuperation. For example, strains and sprains resulted in an average of 57 missed days of work. Injuries that involved inflammation kept workers off the job for an average of 91 days. Workers with a fractured bone generally missed 78 days of work. A representative of Travelers said that many accidents and injuries could be prevented if employer’s maintained a safety culture and made safety measures a priority.
A person who is injured on the job must go through certain procedures to file a workers’ compensation claim. Workers’ compensation laws require that the injury be reported to the employer within a certain time frame. If an injured worker encounters difficulty when requesting information about these benefits or is dissuaded from filing a claim, then an attorney might be of assistance.
