Workplace Injuries and Illnesses- Which Industries Are Ailing the Most
On March 25th, exactly 110 years ago, what would become known as the deadliest industrial fire in New York City’s GreenwichVillage, erupted at a garment factory. Within 18 minutes, 146 of the 500 employees were dead. Girls as young as 14 years old were among its victims. Workers jumped to their death to avoid the flames, while others died from burning alive or were suffocated by the smoke.
New York City Firefighter Howard C. Ruch described the horrifying scene in his testimony before the court, “When I got over there to extinguish this fire... I stepped on something soft,” looking down, he realized it was a pile of dead bodies.
The historic Triangle Factory Fire sparked public outrage because it was preventable. Several detrimental factors were involved in the tragic outcome that day:
The fire escape collapsed
Only one out of four elevators in the building worked
Exit doors were kept locked by management during the day
Fire hoses and ladders were two stories too short
No fire sprinklers were installed
While stories like these are from the past, countless Americans are still at risk each day by their job.
Surprisingly, not all workplace injuries involve physical or manual labor. Though highly compensated for their work, software engineers, computer specialists, mathematicians, and web developers are getting hurt on the job.
Sitting in front of a computer screen and typing for long periods can cause workers to develop strains, disc injuries, and carpal tunnel syndrome due to the nature of the job.
Data from BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) shows the top three workplace-related injuries are overexertion, falls, and contact with objects. The three common workplace-related injuries might sound broad. Leading you to ask, “what type of injuries do they include?”Overexertion is a term that can get lumped in with“overworking,” but it refers to injuries that are defined by BLS in two groups, “non-impact injuries” and “repetitive motion.”
Non-impact injury is caused by excessive physical effort toward an object, in which everyday duties include lifting, twisting, turning, carrying, or pushing.
Repetitive motion injuries result from what the BLS describes as“microtasks,” including stress or strain on some part of the body due to the repetitive nature of the task, without demanding physical effort like heavy lifting.
Injuries from falls in the workplace include:
- Injury from a worker catching themself from a fall such as tripping and slipping
- Falling on a level surface
- Falling from a higher surface to a lower surface
- Falling from a collapsed structure
- Falling from an object such as stairs or ladder
Contact from an object can include a variety of injuries:
- A moving object hitting the worker
- A worker’s body is struck against or thrown against an object
- A worker’s limbs are pinned, compressed, or crushed by moving, or stationary objects
- A worker is struck, caught, or compressed by a collapsing structure, object, or equipment
- Injury from vibration
- Injury from friction or pressure on the worker’s body from an object, equipment, or machinery
According to the statistics, overexertion makes up for 31% of injuries, falls make up 27.5%, and contact with objects makes up 25.8% of workplace injuries.
The top five industries for injuries:
Construction
Government
Agriculture
Transportation & warehousing
Healthcare
The following is a breakdown of modern-day hazards employees are at risk for every day in these industries
mentioned above:
Construction workers
About 6.5 million people work in this industry each day across the United States. If you are part of this number, you know construction sites can get dangerous! Injuries on a construction site can range from severe to fatal injuries from falling to electrical shock, repetitive motions, and the misuse of protective equipment. The most common cause of death for construction workers is from falling. Thus it is crucial to take the necessary precautions when working on ladders, scaffolding, and rooftops.
2. Government
Federal employees are more than your friendly neighborhood mail carrier; they are often on the frontline and at risk for physical and environmental dangers. According to The Insider, the top 10 most dangerous jobs in the federal government include:
- U.S Postal Service
- Veterans Health Administration
- Customs and Border Patrol
- Army
- Forest Service
- Bureau of Prisons
- Navy & Marine Corps
While federal employees are at risk for the same injuries as those working in the private sector, some of the injuries that can occur are far more serious and unpleasant.
For example, 17% of workers get injured due to being attacked by a person or animal.
Transportation incidents can occur by a car accident or motor vehicle malfunction—these instances account for 40% of injuries.
Damaging injuries can occur when a federal worker is exposed to harmful substances and chemicals. On-scene coordinators for the EPA are among the federal employees that encounter hazardous chemicals.
Repeated exposure to diesel exhaust, smoke, and asbestos causes long-term health issues.
3. Transportation & Warehousing
Because traffic accidents are among the highest reasons for fatality in the U.S, it is no surprise that the leading cause of fatal injury to transportation workers is: transportation incidents.
Statistics from BLS show Transportation at the top for the highest number of injuries or cases of illnesses with 184,470cases, an incidence rate of 193.7 per 10,000 full-time workers, and a median of 13 days away from work.
Transport and warehousing operations include warehouse laborers, truck drivers, couriers, delivery services, ground transit, public passenger transportation services, and inland water transportation.
Because traffic accidents are among the highest reasons for fatality in the U.S, it is no surprise that the leading cause of fatal injury to transportation workers is transportation incidents.
The industry suffers 987 fatalities per year.
4. Agriculture
When you think of Agriculture, what comes to mind?-Farming, Ranching? On the surface, agriculture does not seem like a highly hazardous field. If you had to guess which occupation was more dangerous, you would probably imagine a firefighter. Farming is five times more fatal than firefighting.
Farmers are constantly working with dangerous machinery. What risks do farmers encounter on the job? Outdated equipment is one example. Most tractors are legally required to have roll-over protection, yet tractor roll-overs account for one-third of deaths on farms. Farmers often work in remote and secluded areas. Thus if there is an emergency, first responders are delayed. Agriculture is just one industry included in the supersector of natural resources and mining. This supersector consists of some of the most hazardous jobs in America: fishing, logging, and mining.
Jobs in the fishing and logging sector generate more than $1
trillion per year for the U.S. economy. However, fishers and loggers have the highest fatality rate than any other occupation and consistently rank among the highest rates of injury.
Like farmers, loggers are isolated and work in secluded areas with dangerous, heavy machinery. The most common cause of injury and fatality in logging is contact with objects and equipment.
Here are the statistics for Agriculture as of 2020:
Every day, about 100 agricultural workers suffer a lost-work-time injury.
Loggers are 33 times more likely to suffer a fatal injury than the average worker.
Fishers are 29 times more likely to have a fatal injury than the average worker.
Farmers and Ranchers are 7 times more likely to suffer a fatal injury than the average worker. The most common cause being transportation incidents.
The excessive risk for fatal and non-fatal injuries in the agriculture sector shows the pressing need for developing more programs and safety regulations to help make these jobs less hazardous.
The National Farmers Union website is an insightful resource for farm practices that improve your family, farm, and farm-workers safety and well-being. With tips for handling livestock, machinery, electrical, chemical, and transportation equipment.
5. Healthcare
While agriculture might not seem too far of a stretch as a dangerous industry, the healthcare industry appears it would be low on the list. Would you not agree?
Even before the pandemic, healthcare workers face unique, hidden dangers. Some of these occupational injuries and hazards might come as a surprise to you.
Accidental needle pricks- Accidental needle pricks are more than simply saying “ouch,” and moving along. Such accidents can lead to the transfer of severe bloodborne illnesses like HIV, HBV, and HCV. Every year 385,000accidental needle pricks are reported by OSHA.
Medical personnel is susceptible to being exposed to viral infections from handling bodily fluids and secretions. Patients infected with contagious diseases put healthcare workers at high risk, primarily through the eyes, nose, and mouth or open wounds on the skin.
Operating rooms expose you to toxic smoke plumes given off by surgical tools. One day in this environment is likened to smoking 25-40 cigarettes a day. The usage of evaluators and surgical masks is essential. Masks prevent inhalation of harmful chemicals and bacteria, as these can linger for 20minutes before ventilation systems return particulate concentrations to baseline level.
These hazards make it clear why proper usage of PPE is vital to maintaining your health in the medical field even before the spread of coronavirus. The bottom-line? Each job presents workers with risks, whether large or small.
Across various industries, workers like you sometimes risk your life daily for your family and community. Not all injuries are avoidable, but some injuries are preventable. See what you can do to make your workplace or company a safer place.
Below is a list of occupational safety agencies in the UnitedStates:
-U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
-National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health
-National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
-Navy Occupational Safety & Health
-Mine Safety and Health Administration
-Occupational Safety and Health Administration
-Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
Safety should be a daily, top priority on and off the job. Are you ready to make safety your top priority? Click the contact button and fill out the form for more information about the safety speeches given to improve working conditions across America.
Works Cited:
1. Patrick W. McCormick (2008) Bovie Smoke a Perilous Plume. The Hidden Dangers of Working as a Health
Care Professional.
https://www.healthworkscollective.com/hidden-dangers-working-health-care-professional/
2. Gretchen Brown (2017 April, 25) Farming Remains One Of The Most Dangerous Jobs In America.
https://www.wpr.org/farming-remains-one-most-dangerous-jobs-america
3. Bls.gov, Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities.
4.Agriculture Safety. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
5. Most Dangerous Industries. National Safety Council analysis of BLS data.
https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/work/industry-incidence-rates/most-dangerous-industries/
6. Kheel Center, Cornell University. The 1911 Triangle Factory Fire, accessed February 13, 2014,
http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/index.html
