First year workers are most prone to injuries

A recent study by the largest workers’ compensation insurer shows that first-year workers are particularly prone to injuries. This is as true in Minnesota as it is for workers all across the country. The study shows that 35 percent of all injuries happen to first-year workers, regardless of age, skills, or experience.

First year workers are in greater danger

Workers’ compensation claims are most likely to be filed by people who are relatively new at the job. There are a number of reasons that are cited by industry experts. These include the lack of comprehensive employee onboarding and training programs. Unfamiliarity with conditions at the job site can also be a major cause of injuries to employees.

The recently published list of the most common claims filed by these first-year employees includes overexertion, slips and falls, and being struck by a flying or falling object. Also cited on the list were cuts and punctures, being caught in or between objects, and accidents involving motor vehicles.

The most expensive claims on the list make up only 8 percent of the total. However, together they make up 26 percent of claim costs. These include amputations, multiple traumas, electric shock, and dislocations.

Industries in the U.S. are negatively impacted

Industries where workers in the U.S. have the most dangerous jobs include restaurants and construction. The restaurant industry has received the highest number of claims from first-year employees. 53 percent of the claims filed involved these new workers. This represents a total of 47 percent of combined claim costs.

The construction industry came second on the list. Nearly half of all claims filed came from first-year employees. These claims represent a total of 52 percent of combined claim costs reported by companies in this sector.

Injuries that occurred in a worker’s first year on the job led to more than 6 million lost workdays over a period of five years. These first-year worker injuries represented 37 percent of all workdays lost due to injury. Construction, transportation, and service workers lost the most days.