No employer wants to hear that an employee suffered from a worker's compensation injury. As an employer, you want your workplace and job sites to be safe—and your employees to be safer.
Not only can a workers' compensation injury limit the productivity of an employee, but it can also lead to a worst-case scenario like an employee becoming permanently disabled or, in some of the more dangerous industries, deceased.
The most common causes of workers' compensation injuries are completely preventable, which is why workplace safety initiatives and OSHA/ Cal-OSHA safety standards are critical for protecting your workforce.
The State of CA Department of Industry Relations (CA DIR) collected and organized data using the Workers' Compensation Insurance Organizations' (WCIO) Injury Description Tables for 2022, the most recent data available, to shed light on the most common causes of worker's compensation injuries.
The Top 10 Causes of Workers' Compensation Injuries
A note about the pandemic: 2022 data revealed that the pandemic was the leading cause of workplace illness and injury. While the COVID-19 public health emergency ended in March of 2023, it's important to note that the American Public Health Association (APHA) still considers the virus a threat and that OSHA safety standards still include preventing occupational exposure to the coronavirus.
Based on the most recent reporting data from 2022, the top 10 most common causes of workers' compensation injury are:
- COVID pandemic
- Lifting
- Strain or injury
- Other miscellaneous
- Fall, slip, or trip
- Object being lifted or handled
- Repetitive motion
- Cumulative
- On same level (falls from a flat surface)
- Cut, puncture, or scrape
How to Prevent the Most Common Workers' Comp Injuries
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe workplace. Employers are also required to provide workers' compensation insurance so that workers are not left uncovered if they are injured or become ill as a result of performing their job duties.
Providing a safety-focused workplace helps keep your workers safe from illness and injury and helps keep the costs of your mandatory insurance coverage at a reasonable level.
Implement a Safety Program
OSHA encourages all employers to adopt a safety and health program.
"Safety and health programs are universal interventions that can substantially reduce the number and severity of workplace injuries and alleviate the associated financial burdens on U.S. workplaces. Many states have requirements or voluntary guidelines for workplace safety and health programs. Also, numerous employers in the United States already manage safety using safety and health programs, and we believe that all employers can and should do the same. Most successful safety and health programs are based on a common set of key elements. These include management leadership, worker participation, and a systematic approach to finding and fixing hazards." - OSHA
Cultivate a Safety-First Culture
Creating a safety-first culture brings incredible benefits for businesses in any industry, but it's critical in high-risk industries like construction and manufacturing. A safety-focused company has lower incident rates, absenteeism, and employer turnover, and higher productivity.
For a safety-first culture to really work, it has to start from the top, with buy-in and dedication from leaders, managers, supervisors, and superintendents. Safety should be considered a revenue booster for the company, and safety standards and records should be considered KPIs (key performance indicators or measurements of business success).
When safety measures are included in leadership KPIs, the value is passed down to managers, supervisors, and employees.
Protecting your workers against illness and injury can help you prevent these top causes of workers' compensation injuries. Reducing injuries on the job site can help keep the costs of workers' compensation insurance down, as insurers calculate premiums based on the level of risk they associate with your business. It also reduces the costs of employee turnover and absenteeism, which helps your business keep more of its hard-earned profits.