Most Expensive Workers' Comp Injury Causes
Published January 10, 2012 4:12 PM
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Updated January 11, 2012 11:05 AM
1 Min Read
Top Five Most Expensive Workplace Injuries
Liberty Mutual's Workplace Safety Index reports that the most disabling workplace injuries and illnessesthose resulting in six or more days of work being missedincurred $50.1 billion in direct U.S. workers' compensation costs in 2009. The report also notes that 2009's total cost represents a 6.5-percent decrease when compared to 2008. The top five injury causes accounted for 71.7 percent of that total. Click through to take a look at the ranked categories and the costs attributed to them. All cost comparisons to 2008 and 1998 have been adjusted for inflation.
5. Struck By Object
This category accounted for a total of $4.64 billion in 2009 and experienced a 5.4-percent increase in costs when compared to 1998.
4. Bodily Reaction
This category accounted for $5.28 billion, an increase of 9.4 percent in comparison to 1998. According to the report, injuries resulting from "free bodily motion," such as bending, climbing, reaching, standing, slipping and tripping without falling, inhabit this category.
3. Fall to Lower Level
This category accounted for $5.35 billion in cost burdens, which represents a 10.2-percent increase when compared to totals from 1998, the second-largest increase of any category.
2. Fall on Same Level
This category accounted for $7.94 billion in cost burdens15.8 percent of the total injury burden from 2009. This type of injury has grown in costs more than any other since 1998, according to the report, which cites a 34.2 percent increase during that period of time.
1. Overexertion
Maintaining a first-place rank, this category cost businesses $12.75 billion in direct costs, and includes injuries related to lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, carrying or throwing. Interestingly, overexertion ranks first despite citing a decrease of 9.9 percent in costs when compared to totals from 1998. Overexertion accounted for more than 25 percent of 2009's workers compensation costs.
Remaining Injury Causes
The following categories each accounted for less than five percent of 2009's total direct costs: highway incident ($2.18 billion), caught in/compressed by injuries ($2.04 billion), struck against object ($2.01 billion), repetitive motion ($1.97 billion) and assault/violent act injuries ($0.94 billion).