Workplace Injury Statistics

The numbers as of 2020 show that roughly 3% of all full time workers are injured on the job in some capacity, both fatal and nonfatal injuries.

Being injured on the job can completely change your life. Despite safety standards and trying to be careful, workplace related injuries are far more common than many people may realize. Here we are going to take a look at some of the current workplace injury statistics and what you should do if you are injured on the job and need help and compensation. 

Current Injury Numbers and Which Fields are Most at Risk

Anyone can be injured on the job, but when we look at the most recent data from different industries, certain jobs and fields have a higher rate of injury than others and by a wide margin. Data shows that among various industries, those jobs that are in civil service fields, construction, transport, healthcare and a few others have the highest risk of on the job injury. 

In fact, the numbers as of 2020 show that roughly 3% of all full time workers are injured on the job in some capacity, both fatal and nonfatal injuries. This equates to thousands of people every year that are injured in some kind of workplace related accident. These injuries, even minor ones, are life altering as people miss work, have to pay extensive medical bills and suffer other losses. 

In the United States, roughly 38% of the population is made up of working age individuals (between the ages of 18 and 65). Some smaller numbers of persons outside those age ranges are also employed. This means that around 40% of the entire population of the United States is at some risk of being injured while at work. 

Certain regions of the country have higher numbers of injured workers as well. Areas around the great lakes with a large number of industrial jobs, areas of New England with shipping and seafaring jobs, and in the Southeast with jobs ranging from oil industry to manufacturing all have higher rates of employees being injured. 

Those at the highest risk are all in industries which require great physical labor, the use of heavy equipment or are performed in dangerous environments, which fits with the data to show why they have higher rates of accidents. Though safety standards continue to improve, it is impossible to eliminate all risks.

Common Causes of Workplace Injuries 

Injuries in the workplace can range from minor to very severe. 

One of the more common causes of injury is poor maintenance or faulty equipment. If you work in a job that requires you to use heavy machinery, it’s easy to become injured if something breaks or malfunctions. 

Another reason that workers become injured is because of poor lighting, clutter, debris, and other things that make the work environment less safe. Even a job that is not normally very dangerous can lead to injury if proper care isn’t taken for the workspace. Keeping areas clean of debris, ensuring that lighting is functioning properly, using signage to denote problem areas where relevant. All of these things are part of proper safety standards.. 

Lastly, it is not always the fault of your employer that an injury occurs. In some cases, it may be that a third party causes the accident. Many businesses rely on outside suppliers and manufacturers for the equipment and things they need to perform their business. If one of these third party businesses fails to follow proper procedure or does something that makes the work environment more dangerous, it can lead to a workplace injury.