Report breaks down workplace injuries by state, occupation

When workplace accident victims get hurt on the job, they may not be aware of the rights they have as injured employees. They may be able to file workers’ compensation claims in order to cover the medical expenses associated with their injuries and to replace the wages they lose when taking off to recuperate from the injury. According to a recent report, more than one million workers hurt on the job across the country need to take at least one day off from work. For many people struggling to make ends meet, missing a day’s salary while paying high medical bills is a strain on their finances, and workers’ compensation may be one way to ease that financial burden.

The study, which was conducted by a nationwide provider of Social Security Disability insurance, analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and found that the national average of injury and illness per 100 full-time private industry workers was 0.7. North Carolina’s workplace injury rate is the same as the national average.

In the states identified by the report as having the highest rate of injuries, most of the injuries did not occur at construction or industrial sites, but rather at nursing homes and residential care facilities. The report only included injuries serious enough to warrant a job transfer or restriction. The number of non-serious injuries or unreported injuries is not factored into the report.

Reporting a workplace accident is the right of an employee, not for the purposes of recovering compensation, but also to highlight the dangers of the workplace. When accidents are reported, workplace inspections can take place and a safe working environment can be created so as to reduce future similar accidents.

Source: International Business Times, “Maine is the most dangerous place in the US to work: New York is the safest,” David Kashi, July 11, 2013