Today, the top 10 causes of workplace injuries cost U.S. businesses more than $1 billion a week, with total injuries costing more than $58 billion every year. Yet what makes these statistics even more disheartening is that the risk of many workplace injuries can be reduced.
The 2022 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index (WSI) compiles the top 10 causes of the most serious disabling workplace injuries – those that caused employees to miss work for more than five days – ranked by direct cost to employers based on medical and lost-wage expenses.
- Overexertion involving outside sources (handling objects) – Cost per year: $12.63B
- Falls on the same level – Cost per year: $10.26B
- Struck by object or equipment (being hit by objects) – Cost per year: $5.66B
- Falls to a lower level – Cost per year: $5.07B
- Other exertions and bodily reactions (awkward postures) – Cost per year: $4.01B
- Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle (motor vehicle crashes) – Cost per year: $3.59B
- Slip or trip without a fall – Cost per year: $2.52B
- Caught in or compressed by equipment or objects – Cost per year: $2.19B
- Struck against object or equipment (person colliding with objects or equipment) – Cost per year: $1.87B
- Nonroadway incidents involving motorized land vehicles (off-road vehicle incidents) – Cost per year: $1.39B