When it comes to workplace injuries, the common assumption is that they are the result of negligence or carelessness, but one of the most common causes of on-the-job injury is overexertion.
People often criticize hard workers for “not working hard enough” and praise those who push themselves beyond the bounds of what is safe. If it sounds silly to hold back a hard working employee, consider the fact that overexertion is the third leading cause of injury in the United States and is one of the costliest work-related injuries.
Overexertion costs US employers more than $15.billion dollars annually in workers compensation claims.
While 15 billion is a staggering number, the cost to employers doesn’t stop there. Back injuries alone, make up 30% of worker’s compensation claims and an overexertion based injury will put most workers off the job an average of two weeks. One injury can cost you work hours and worker’s compensation payments, plus the cost of temporarily filling the position
- Temporary experienced employees come with higher than average pay rates
- Using existing employees can send you into overtime costs
- Hiring a less skilled employee for lower compensation will cost you in training time
Overexertion injuries are the #1 reason employees miss work, for an average of 14 days absent.
Back injuries account for half of overexertion injuries, followed primarily by knee and shoulder injuries. While training and administrative policies can reduce overexertion risks, they cannot obliterate them. Engineering controls can change how jobs are performed rather than relying on an employee to remember or comply with proper training techniques. Workplace Safety Screenings can perform a safety analysis of your worksite and identify potential hazards areas where an overexertion injury, fall or slip could likely occur.
Overexertion accounts for more than one of every three work-related injuries.
Are you seeing the same injuries occur in your workforce? The problem could be twofold. On one hand, a common repeat of similar injuries could mean that you need to invest in more thorough or job-specific safety training and equipment. ON the other hand, it could be the result of unknowingly filling a position with an employee who is vulnerable to injury.
Pre employment screenings can help you confidently place the right employee in the best position. A fit-for-duty exam can make you aware of an employee’s predisposition to certain work-related injuries before they need to file a worker’s compensation claim. Preventing the injury will save both you and your employees a lot of time, money and pain.