There's not a job in Denver in which an employee is completely safe from illness or injury. Every position in every industry carries with it a set of unique risks, from the office positions that leave people prone to ergonomic injuries and stress-related injuries to the construction jobs that require people to operate heavy equipment and endure hours of physical labor to complete their tasks.
While there's always a chance you could slip and fall in your Denver workplace, it's important to note that some industries suffer from more work-related injuries than others. Let's break it down:
Transportation and warehouse
According to recent data published by Paychex, the transportation and warehouse industries have the highest percentage of work-related injuries each year. This is not entirely surprising, considering these are some of the most physically demanding jobs. Workers who work in the transportation industry are on the road for long hours at a time, leaving them at risk for ergonomic injuries as well as injuries that result of motor vehicle accidents. In the warehouse industry, workers must operator heavy equipment on a daily basis, and have a high risk of injury as a result.
Public order and law enforcement
The public order and law enforcement industries only fell shortly behind the transportation and warehouse injuries for the most work-related injuries among employees throughout the year. Police officers, firefighters and other public order officials literally put their lives on the line every day in order to help others in their communities. The high-risk situations in which they put themselves leaves them prone to many different types of injuries, including lacerations, fractures and burns, in addition to other traumatic injuries.
Technology
Workers in the technology industry can breathe a sigh of relief, because this injury has the least amount of work-related injuries throughout the year. However, that doesn't mean that there are no risks to working in this environment. The long hours that workers put in behind computers and while sitting at their desks leave them prone to ergonomic injuries, musculoskeletal injuries and stress injuries.
Education
The education industry topped the list for the fewest amount of days taken off each year due to work-related illness or injury. It's important to note that this statistic may highlight the dedication of educators rather than the low-risk levels for this field. Educators are still at risk of various types of injuries, but they may be less compelled to take time off of work for those injuries.
Mining and extraction
Workers in the mining industry take the most time off from work as a result of illness or injury, averaging about 31 days per year away from their job sites. This is not indicative of their willingness to work, but rather highlights the extremely difficult working conditions that these employees are subjected to each day. Mining is a physical position that requires challenging work in close quarters, making it a high-risk profession.
According to the data, across all industries, the most common work-related injuries were sprains, strains and tears. These injuries, which can range from minor to severe depending on the root cause, were only closely followed by musculoskeletal disorders. In addition, the report notes that most work-related injuries were caused by overexertion and slip and fall accidents.
The report also noted that the older workers get, the more likely they were to spend time away from work due to injuries or illness. Workers between the ages of 35 and 44 spent an average of 10 days away from work as a result of injury or illness, whereas workers over the age of 65 spent 17 days away from work on average.
Regardless of the risk of injury within any given injury, it's imperative that business owners and managers make every effort to keep workers safe on the job. This includes offering safety equipment, maintaining the premises and conducting training exercises on a regular basis.
In order to make sure that you get all of the compensation that you need and deserve, contact our Denver law office today to set up a consultation with an experienced worker's compensation attorney.
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