Types of Workers’ Comp Claims

1. Over-Doing It

Lifting, pushing, pulling, or throwing can easily cause an injury when a muscle is pulled, or a joint is forced beyond its natural range of motion. Overexertion is the most common physical injury in the workplace, especially among construction and factory workers.

2. Slip, Trip, and Fall

Wet floors and dangerous walkways pose threats to many workers and are the cause of many workplace injuries. Freshly-mopped floors are ideal for cleanliness, but unfortunately many workers fall victim to their slippery surfaces. Loose gravel or cracked tiles are easy to trip over resulting in an injury. Falling off a roof, a ladder, or down a flight of stairs is another common cause of physical injuries.

During a slip, trip, or fall incident, a person may try to catch themselves, but trying to prevent an already occurring fall results in further sprains, strains, and broken bones.

3. Struck by an Object

Falling items from shelves, tumbling debris from a jobsite, and things accidentally dropped on a co-worker are three common injuries among restaurant, construction, and retail workers. Often orthopedic and neurological injuries occur from being struck by an unexpected object.

4. Highway Incident

While our highway system has made transporting goods faster and easier, it has also increased the number of Workers’ Compensation claims. Anyone traveling for work is at risk for being involved in an accident. Truck drivers, police officers, delivery drivers, and traveling business persons are most at risk for these types of Workers’ Comp claims.

5. Accidents involving Machinery

Large heavy machinery can severely injure a worker by crushing or severing limbs or other body parts. When machinery accidents occur in factories or construction sites, medical bills can escalate quickly. Training programs in many states have become mandatory on large machines in order to decrease the number of workplace accidents each year.

6. Repetitive Stress

Repetitive stress injuries can be difficult to prove, but they do often occur. Workplace injuries can come from repeating the same movements over and over and repetitive stress injuries are specific types of Workers’ Comp claims. While many people initially think of an assembly line, repetitive stress injuries can also occur at desk jobs from using a mouse or sitting for long periods of time. The most common repetitive stress injuries are carpal tunnel, tendonitis, and bursitis.

7. Violent Environment

Violence in the workplace is unexpected, but it does occur. Violence in the workplace can take many forms from robberies to fatal shootings. People who work in neighborhoods with high crime rates are more susceptible to potential violent workplace injuries.