The Most Common Work-Related Injuries

Whether you work in an office, in construction, in a warehouse, or in retail, you can be at significant risk of suffering a workplace injury. In fact, workplace accidents are among the leading causes of non-fatal injuries every year. Here are the most frequent types of injuries suffered on the job:

• Repetitive motion or stress injury— When you do the same thing over and over again for eight hours a day, five days a week, you can be susceptible to motion or stress injury. Such injuries typically involve joints or connective tissue like tendons, ligaments, muscles, or cartilage. As a consequence, repetitive stress or motion injuries often occur in the knees, elbow, shoulder, hips, hands, and feet. You also can incur injury by remaining in the same position for too many hours. As a general rule, when connective tissue is subjected to repetitive stress or motion, you can experience inflammation and swelling, as well as strains and tears.
• Over extension— Over extension typically involves pushing, pulling, carrying, moving, lifting, or squatting. It typically leads to back injuries hyperextension of knees, elbows, shoulders, and other joints; and sprained, strained, or torn muscles. In addition, overextension can lead to herniated, bulging, or ruptured discs.
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)— The most common types of accidents at work are slip-and-falls, falls from heights, and being struck by falling objects. These types of accidents are a common cause of head injuries, including concussions.
• Motor vehicle accident injuries— Some of the most severe work-related injuries are caused by vehicles in motion, whether forklifts, delivery trucks, heavy equipment, or company cars. The injuries most often associated with vehicle crashes include spinal cord trauma, whiplash, soft tissue injury, disc trauma, and broken bones. Your spine houses your central nervous system, and even slight bruising can cause swelling that impinges nerves, leading to pain and even loss of sensation. Soft-tissue injury, which involves muscles and other connective tissue, can make it difficult to perform basic tasks, such as walking, sitting, or standing.