Employees who are hurt on the job can face a serious reduction in earning potential. In particular, workers may be unable to work in the future after an injury if they have jobs in physical fields like construction or manufacturing. Unfortunately, workers in these sectors are at the greatest risk of experiencing an accident that can affect their working ability. Workers in these and other sectors must understand the risks they face as well as their right to workers' compensation if they are hurt on the job.
A new report from Occupational Safety and Health Administration underscores the dangers of serious injuries and accidents, even while OSHA admits the data in the report may be underestimating the extent of the problem. Employers and employees must both be aware of the significant risks in certain professions so steps can be taken to try to prevent harm.
New OSHA Report Reveals Most Dangerous Industries
Starting January 1, 2015, OSHA began requiring reports of workplace injuries if the injury required hospitalization or if the worker lost an eye or an amputation happened. The new requirements mandated OSHA be alerted within 24 hours of the incident.
OSHA has now prepared a report with the data collected. The report, which contains information only from states which are under OSHA control and not states administering their own safety programs, shows there were 10,388 incidents in workplaces which were classified as causing serious injury.
Among the serious injury reports, 2,644 were related to amputation and 7,636 occurred because a worker got hurt badly enough on the job to require admission to the hospital. This amounts to around 30 serious incidents a day in which a worker either loses a body part or has to get inpatient care.
Manufacturing was by far the most dangerous sector when it came to both amputations and serious injuries. Of the hospitalized workers, 26 percent had manufacturing jobs they were working at the time of the accident. Of the workers who experienced amputation, 57 percent were working manufacturing jobs at the time of the incident.
Construction workers were also at risk. In total, 19 percent of the people who were hospitalized were working in construction at the time of the incident and 10 percent of the people who experienced amputations were working in construction when they lost a body part.
The third most common industry for hospitalizations, accounting for 10 percent of hospitalized workers, was transportation and warehousing. For amputations, on the other hand, wholesale trader workers were the third-largest group, accounting for five percent of total amputations due to on-the-job incidents.
OSHA estimates around 50 percent of amputations and serious injuries which should be reported aren't, so workers may actually be at even greater risk than these troubling numbers show. Employers, especially in these industries, need to take workplace safety seriously and try to help ensure employees don't experience grave harm on the job.
A Scranton accident attorney at O'Malley & Langan can help. Call (800) 817-2667 or visit bviomalleydev.wpengine.com today to schedule your free consultation. Serving Lackawanna, Luzerne, Bradford, Schuykill, Lehigh, Monroe, Wyoming and Wayne counties and surrounding areas.
