Injuries to workers and their dependents

Abstract

Total workplace injuries by severity, as well as worker injuries outside of work were estimated. One in five injuries — almost 11 million annually — occurs while the victim is working. The toll includes 11,600 deaths, 614,000 hospitalizations, and 1.7 million nonhospitalized compensable lost workday injuries. Motor-vehicle crashes are a deadly cause of workplace injury. Crash injuries often are serious. Work-related crashes cause almost 30% of workplace deaths and 5% of compensable injuries, but less than 3% of minor injuries. One way for an employer to assess its highway safety record is to compare its injury, injury crash, and overall crash rates with national norms. Motor-vehicle injuries and crashes per million vehicle-miles of travel are the best measures. Most employers offer sick leave and contribute to insurance premiums. Employers who offer health insurance to dependents will pay for treating several times more injuries off than on the job. Each dependent covered under the worker's insurance averages as many injuries outside of work as the worker. Motor-vehicle crashes cost employers more than just fringe benefit payments. They create a major absenteeism problem. Crashes cause one in five time-away-from-work injuries. Employees caring for dependents injured in crashes lose additional work. The problem is crashes outside of work. Crash injuries account for only 3.3% of on-the-job lost workday injuries. Conversely, they cause 30% of off-the-job time-away-from-work injuries.