Safety Management

Workplace Injuries Cost U.S. Businesses Nearly $1 Billion Per Week

American workplaces are becoming safer, but the cost of on-the-job injuries continues to rise faster than inflation, according to the Workplace Safety Index, released in October by 2003 by its sponsor, insurer Liberty Mutual.

The financial burden of serious work-related injuries and illnesses grew to $45.8 billion in 2001 from $44.2 billion in 2000, according to Liberty Mutual. The index includes only direct costs - payments to injured employees and their medical providers.

Liberty Mutual found that overexertion, falls on same level, and "bodily reaction" (which it defines as "injuries from bending, climbing, slipping or tripping without falling") are the leading causes of serious injuries, and the fastest-growing categories. They cost about $23 billion a year or $450 million a week, accounting for just over 50 percent of the total costs.

The other seven of the top 10 causes of injuries are: falls to lower level, struck by object, repetitive motion, highway incident, struck against object, caught in/compressed by, and assaults and violent acts.