Top Industries That Sustain The Most Injuries
If you are injured on the job in Arkansas, you will apply for workers’ compensation by filing a claim with the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission (AWCC). You would receive benefits for your injury, no matter what that may be. Several common workplace accidents typically result in filing a workers’ compensation claim.
In Arkansas, the most common work injuries include:
- Finger Lacerations – working with power tools or around heavy machinery is dangerous. Keeping fingers out of the way is paramount or risk amputation or serious crush injuries.
- Shoulder Injuries – carrying and lifting heavy objects causes shoulder stress and strain and may also result in repetitive stress injuries. Rotator cuff issues are common, as are shoulder dislocations.
- Low Back Injuries – injuries to the sacral and lumbar spine can affect a worker’s life in the long term. There may be surgery, rehab, and medical assistance devices.
- Knee Damage – kneeling, climbing ladders or scaffolding, lifting, walking, and carrying puts strain on the knees.
- Multiple Body Part Injuries – there are instances where more than one body part is involved in an injury. This applies to illness, vehicle accidents, fires and falls, and exposure to chemicals, hazardous materials, and fumes.
- Lower Leg Injuries – catching a pant leg in moving machinery, sustaining a crush injury or amputation, being crushed or pinned by construction materials or machinery.
- Wrist Injuries – sustained by office workers, truck drivers, those who lift heavy objects, or sustain injuries in a mechanical accident.
- Hand Trauma – vulnerable to repetitive stress injuries. Workers use their hands to run machines and power tools, risking broken bones, amputation, or deep cuts.
- Foot Damage – moving parts, dropping heavy objects on the feet, getting run over by a vehicle, and heavy machinery can catch shoelaces, pulling a foot into a machine. Repetitive stress injuries occur from repeatedly walking or running.
- Ankle Injuries – twisting causing a severe sprain is common and one of the most significant causes of injuries. Any misstep can mean a fall and severe injuries.
The most important thing to note when discussing the most dangerous industry is that any industry can be hazardous. It depends on what is being done, how often, under what conditions, and what constitutes a danger – something that can be different for every industry niche.
Top Industries with the Most Injuries Nationally
According to recent statistics released by the National Safety Council (NSC), for 2020, each of the following three industries could rank as dangerous:
- Construction – this niche had the most workplace deaths.
- Education & Health Services – had the highest nonfatal injury and illness figures involving days away from work.
- Agriculture, Forestry, Hunting, & Fishing – had the highest death rate.
Many of the illnesses and nonfatal injuries that resulted in workers being home for several days were impacted by COVID-19. COVID-19 is responsible for the health and education niches moving from the 7th highest illness and injury rate to the highest and beating out warehousing and transportation. Covid is also why health and education moved from the second most nonfatal injuries and illnesses involving days away to the top spot in 2020.
According to the NSC and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), body systems were the most frequently affected category by injuries and illnesses in 2020. That trend continues with COVID-19 still being present in its various evolutions. Body system illnesses and injuries comprised over 34 percent of the 1,176,340 cases in private industry.
Back injuries led the way when the numbers were tallied for specific body part injuries, followed by hand and leg injuries. The work days lost per incident went from 8 days in 2019 to 12 days in 2020. The days lost to specific injuries ranged from 4 days to 28 days.
- Head Injuries – days of work lost – 4
- Back Injuries – days of work lost – 9
- Foot Injuries – days of work lost – 13
- Body System Injuries – days of work lost – 13
- Wrist Injuries– days of work lost – 15
- Knee Injuries – days of work lost – 18
- Shoulder Injuries – days of work lost – 284
Worker’s Age Affects Injuries and Illnesses in All Industries
Although COVID-19 played a major part in injuries and illnesses in the workplace, age also played a significant role. For instance, workers in the 16 to 19 range were at a higher risk of:
- Coming into contact with equipment and other objects on a job site.
- Sustaining a higher rate of injuries/illnesses impacting lower and upper extremities.
- Having a much greater rate of punctures, cuts, and lacerations.
Older workers, from 55 to 64 years old, were at risk for:
For workers 65 and over, they were at a higher risk for:
Another industry trend noted by the BLS and published in the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) revealed that private employers cited 2.7 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2020, compared to 2.7 million in 2019.
Top Work-Related Injury Causes
The leading causes of work-related injuries/illnesses resulting in workers staying home in 2020 were exposure to harmful substances or environments, overexertion, bodily reaction, slips, trips, and falls. This is essential information, as the leading cause of exposure to toxic substances or environments was once ranked 6th. The top three reasons now make up over seventy five percent of all nonfatal injuries/illnesses resulting in time away from work.
Exposure to toxic environments and substances can include:
- Radiation exposure;
- Air, water, pressure exposure;
- Exposure to radiation and noise;
- Exposure to electricity;
- Being exposed to extreme temperatures;
- Exposure to other harmful substances;
- A deficiency of oxygen;
- Exposure to a traumatic event; or
- Contracting a contagious disease, i.e., COVID-19.
The different accidents and workplace deaths that can happen in a dangerous workplace are disturbing. To discuss your situation and craft a compelling case, speak with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney at the Law Office of Jason M. Hatfield as soon as possible. We are here to help you.
Industries With High Death Rates
Ten industries tend to have disproportionately high death rates. Those industries include:
- Logging – 97.6 deaths.
- Fishing – 77.4 deaths.
- Pilots, Flight Engineers – 58.9 deaths.
- Roofers – 51.5 deaths.
- Trash/Recycling Material Collectors – 44.3 deaths.
- Truck Drivers – 26 casualties.
- Agricultural – 24.7 deaths.
- Iron/Steel Workers – 23.6 deaths.
- Construction – 21 casualties.
- Landscaping – 20.2 deaths.
Common Injuries Sustained on Jobs
Injuries can take months or years to resolve. They include, but are not limited to:
- Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Concussions
- Broken Bones/Fractures
- Disfiguring Facial Injuries/Scarring
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Paralysis, partial or permanent
- Amputations
- Electrocution
- Burns
- Soft Tissue Injuries/ Internal Organ Damage
- Back injuries/ Neck Injuries
Contact the Law Office of Jason M. Hatfield
Getting Arkansas workers’ compensation benefits is more complicated than filling out the required paperwork and filing a claim. Consult an experienced Arkansas workers’ compensation attorney at the Law Office of Jason M. Hatfield to discover your legal rights and what happens next on your journey to recovery.
The Law Office of Jason M. Hatfield, P.A. represents workers’ compensation claims from Northwest Arkansas, including Fort Smith, Rogers, Springdale, Fayetteville, Bentonville, Berryville, and Harrison. Call us today for your free consultation at (479) 361-3575.