Workers are Overexerting Themselves
By Michelle Logsdon - April 24, 2002Overexertion was the leading cause of workplace injuries across the country in 1999 according to a new report released by Liberty Mutual Research Center for Safety and Health. The same was true for California’s workforce according to the state’s Division of Labor Statistics and Research.
The Liberty Mutual 2002 Workplace Safety Index showed 25.5 percent of injuries on-the-job nationwide were caused by overexertion. Those injuries cost employers $10.3 billion. Overexertion far surpassed the next injury in line: Falls on the same level. Those accounted for 11.5 percent of all injuries and cost employers $4.6 billion.
The injuries on the nationwide top ten list, in descending order, were:
Overexertion, 25.5 percent, $10.3 billion
Falls on same level, 11.5 percent, $4.6 billion
Bodily reaction, 9.4 percent, $3.8 billion
Falls to a lower level, 9.2 percent, $3.7 billion
Being struck by an object, 8.5 percent, $3.4 billion
Repetitive motion, 6.7 percent, $2.7 billion
Highway accidents, 5.9 percent, $2.4 billion
Being struck against an object, 4.3 percent, $1.7 billion
Being caught in or compressed by equipment, 4.1 percent, $1.6 billion
Exposure to temperature extremes, 1 percent, $.4 billion
Last year, Liberty Mutual conducted another survey called the 2001 Liberty Mutual Executive Survey of Workplace Safety. That report listed the workplace injuries that employers thought were most prevalent. Overexertion was second on that list and repetitive motion was first.
The employer perceptions, in descending order, were:
Repetitive motion
Overexertion
Highway accidents
Bodily reaction
Falls to a lower level
Being caught in or compressed by equipment
Falls on same level
Being struck by an object
Exposure to temperature extremes
Being struck against an object
Liberty Mutual hopes the comparison between these two studies helps employers focus their workplace safety programs in the most significant areas.
The Safety Index is based on data from Liberty Mutual, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Academy of Social Insurance. The Executive Survey was based on interviews with 200 executives from mid-size and large companies.
California’s workplace injury 1999 top ten list looked somewhat different than the national picture. The top injuries in the state were as follows (the national ranking is listed in parenthesis):
Overexertion (1)
Bodily reaction (3)
Being struck by an object (5)
Falls on same level (2)
Repetitive motion (6)
Being struck against an object (8)
Falls to a lower level (4)
Being caught in or compressed by equipment (9)
Highway accidents (7)
Exposure to caustic, noxious, or allergenic substances
Assaults and violent acts by person(s)
Exposure to temperature extremes (10)
The top ten list for California included two areas not ranked on the nationwide list: Exposure to caustic, noxious or allergenic substances and Assaults and violent acts by person(s).
The California figures can be viewed from the website of the Division of Labor Statistics and Research.
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