Analysis of workers’ comp claims identifies top injury causes, types

Hartford, CT – Injuries related to material handling account for nearly one-third of total workers’ compensation claims, while strains and sprains are the most common type of work-related injury, according to a report from insurance provider Travelers Companies.

For its Injury Impact Report, Travelers examined more than 1.5 million workers comp’ claims filed from 2010 to 2014 from various businesses and industries, and identified the five most common causes of workplace injuries:

1. Material handling (accounting for 32 percent of all claims)
2. Slips, trips and falls (16 percent)
3. Struck by or colliding with an object (10 percent)
4. Incidents involving tools (7 percent)
5. Cumulative trauma (4 percent)

The most common injuries resulting in a claim were:

• Strains and sprains (30 percent)
• Cuts or punctures (19 percent)
• Contusions (12 percent)
• Inflammation (5 percent)
• Fractures (5 percent)

Other findings:

• Material handling incidents caused 37 percent of injuries in manufacturing and retail.
• In manufacturing and construction, eye injuries were one of the most common types of injuries.
• Small businesses saw the highest percentage of incidents involving tools (13 percent).

“Even seemingly minor injuries, such as strains or sprains, can substantially impact an employee and slow a business’s operations and productivity,” Woody Dwyer, second vice president of workers’ compensation, risk control, at Travelers, said in a press release. “The most common injuries we see can often be prevented if the proper safety measures are in place, if safety issues are promptly addressed and if leaders continuously emphasize a culture of safety with employees.”