From the USA, causes of workplace
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Top ten US causes of workplace injury |
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Overexertion and falls are the top two injury causes |
The occurrence of workplace injuries has become a primary concern for big and small
companies alike. Although we assume that work related injuries happen only in more dangerous environments such as
construction sites and factories, it is high time we become aware of equally dangerous injuries that happen in
regular offices. In addition to that, companies and employees should be aware of what safety measures to adapt in
order to avoid these injuries in the future. According to the 2008 Workplace Safety Index, here are ten of the most
common workplace injuries in the USA:
1. Overexertion - This is the number one type of workplace injury in the past few
years. The common causes of overexertion are pulling, lifting, pushing, holding, carrying, and throwing activities
at work.
2. Fall on Same Level Surfaces - This refers to falls and slips on same level
surfaces. A good example are those falls on wet and slippery floors mostly in the bathrooms and snow covered
pathways outside the office.
3. Fall to Lower Level - This refers to a type of fall from an elevated surface such
as ladders, stairways, and roofs.
4. Bodily Reaction - This type of workplace injury refers to tripping and slipping
without actually falling.
5. Struck by an Object - Falling objects or debris from an elevated surface may
seriously hit a person right below it. An example is a falling book from a shelf hitting a person's head. This can
be a very serious type of work related injury.
6. Struck against Object - This type of workplace injury refers to running into
concrete objects such as walls, doors, tables, cabinets, chairs, glass windows etc.
7. Highway Incident - Transportation used for business purposes such as trucks and
cars may be involved in an automobile accident just like any regular traveller.
8. Caught in/ compressed by - This type of injury usually occurs in a factory where
large and dangerous machinery is used. Sometimes little or no precaution in its usage may endanger the safety of
its operators. Exposure to extreme temperature is also an example of this workplace injury.
9. Repetitive Motion - The most common example of this type of injury is typing on a
computer 24/7. It may seem harmless at first but serious injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, back injury, and
vision problems has been the effect of repetitive motion.
10. Assaults and violent acts - This may not be a frequent occurrence but is
nonetheless causing injuries among employees who engage in physical attack against each other.
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