Sometimes, the workplace can be a dangerous one. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a total of 5,250 workers died from work-related injuries in 2018, and another 2.8 million were injured that same year. Experts from across industries, ranging from doctors and physicians in New York to truck accident injury lawyers in California can attest to the severity of those workplace related injuries. Many of these injuries are major, and some can even be life-altering. Today, we’ll take a look at some of the most common — and most likely — to have serious life changing consequences.
The Fatal Four
According to data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, construction worker deaths accounted for about 21 percent of those 2018 workplace fatalities, and a deadly quartet of workplace dangers — dubbed the Fatal Four — present themselves as some of the most dangerous injuries that workers can face. They are, in order of lethality, falling, being struck by an object, electrocution, and getting caught in or crushed by equipment or collapsing structures.
While death is perhaps the most “life altering” consequence of these injuries, even a non-fatal occurrence of any one could have serious, irreparable outcomes. Taking falling, for instance, or being struck by an object. Both could end with serious trauma, and perhaps even paralysis. Electrocution, when it isn’t fatal, can still cause thermal burns along with the destruction of muscles, nerves, and tissue.
Though these injuries, relatively speaking, are rare, curtailing them could save nearly 600 lives a year, while preventing many more serious injuries from occurring in the workplace.
Other Serious Workplace Injuries
Beyond those big four construction injuries, there are less fatal but still common injuries that affect millions of employees every year. These include things like repetitive motion and overexertion, which might not seem serious at first but take their toll over prolonged periods on the job.
Repetitive strain injuries can cause serious pain in the affected areas, along with stiffness and weakness that makes it more difficult to move. With enough time, these injuries can become severe enough to warrant surgery, though, in some cases symptoms can be mitigated by adjusting work routines.
And so it goes with many of the other serious workplace injuries as well. Though they may not be as lethal as the most serious workplace injuries, they can still be quite serious, and have the potential to critically change your life. It’s best to stay alert and safe on the job, and watch all of those recommended safety precautions to avoid any serious harm.
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