Common Workplace Injuries in Atlanta
Workplace injuries can happen in any state and industry. The state of Georgia is no exception, although the state has some common injuries that are less common in other states. While many accidents result in minor injuries, others can have more catastrophic results and in some cases, even result in death. Below are the four most common workplace accidents and injuries in Georgia.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics within the U.S. Department of Labor, 15 percent of workplace accidents resulting in fatalities are a result of objects and equipment. Most associate these injuries with getting stuck in or crushed by machinery, and that certainly does happen. But other types of accidents such as electrocution or collisions with powered vehicles such as forklifts on a construction site are also in this category.
Falls, slips, and trips make up the next highest percentage of workplace accidents in Georgia totaling 20 percent of accidents. These include many different types of falls including same-level falls, falls from a height, and even falls through an opening, such as an elevator shaft. Falls, slips, and trips are common across all industries but are especially hazardous to older employees who are more vulnerable to falls.
Perhaps most shocking on this list is injuries resulting from violence by other people or animals. With a large farming community in Georgia, this could include kicks from a horse or cow. But also included in this category are more violent crimes such as homicide, shootings, stabbings, beatings within the workplace, and suicide. In many cases, these accidents and injuries are the results of one employee becoming angry with another. These injuries make up 22 percent of injuries employees incur and are second to only one other type of workplace injury.
That category is transportation accidents, which make up 40 percent of workplace accidents. While couriers and delivery jobs are top of mind when referring to these accidents, transportation accidents also include aircraft accidents, train accidents, and pedestrian accidents. In fatal injuries, employees often suffer from blunt-force trauma, internal bleeding, and spinal injuries. Non-fatal transportation accidents also result in spinal injuries, internal bleeding, broken bones, and head trauma.
Workplace injuries are complicated matters in Georgia as the injured worker cannot sue her employer but can seek workers’ compensation benefits. However, where a third party is responsible for the workplace injury, like the manufacturer of a defective forklift or the cleaning company that mopped the shop floor where a worker fell, we can pursue an injury claim against the third party.
