Workplace accidents in Minnesota threaten worker safety and lives, harm productivity and put the employer at risk of significant financial loss due to damages they are liable for when an employee suffers harm. Here are the most common reasons for workplace accidents.
The most common reasons for workplace accidents
While most people associate workplace accidents with high-intensity, hazardous occupations like construction work, accidents actually occur in all workplace settings. The most common reasons for workplace injuries are exposure to harmful toxins or other substances, fires and explosions, violence caused by people or animals, slips and falls, contact with dangerous equipment or objects, overexertion and transportation accidents.
Causes of nonfatal workplace accidents
Nonfatal workplace accidents refer to those that do not result in a worker’s death although they can cause serious injury. Of those types of workplace accidents, the three most common ones – slips and falls, overexertion, and contact with dangerous equipment or objects – are the cause of around 85% of nonfatal workplace injuries. Statisticians and employment analysts believe that these three are the most common because they can happen in any type of workplace setting, including in offices.
The most common cause of fatal workplace accidents
Fatal workplace accidents are those that result in the death of a worker. The most common cause of fatal workplace accidents by far is transportation accidents, which account for 40% of these fatal events. This aligns with broader statistics for society as a whole that point to transportation as a leading cause of accidental death in the general population.
Most workplace accidents can be prevented by common-sense safety measures, which Minnesota law requires employers to develop and implement. If employers don’t work to ensure the safety of their employees, they may be found liable in the court of law and forced to pay damages to injured workers.
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