New workers: A higher accident risk

Residents of Colorado might want to learn more about workers’ compensation and who is most at risk. A report from an insurance company in 2022 found that new workers had the highest risk of injury. This was for many occupations, although some industries had more accidents.

According to business wire services, the study revealed that 35% of the injuries occurred during the first year of work. There are reasons for this.

What are some reasons for this trend?

In 2022, many workers are returning to work, with new jobs, after working from home or being out of work. They may not have the proper safety training, as they learn a new job. Businesses may be eager to get up and running, and the time needed for training a new employee may be affected.

What industries were the most affected?

The restaurant industry led the list. Statistics showed that 53% of the claims involved the newest workers (first year). Next was the construction industry, where claims by new employees totaled 52% of workers compensation construction claim costs.

How did injuries affect the industries?

In total, injuries from first-year workers amounted to 6 million days of work lost over a period of five years. Construction workers missed the most workdays. Transportation workers were second. Service industries, such as legal and accounting, took third place.

What were some of the types of injuries?

The injuries that had resulted in the most missed work include the following:

• Inflammation

• Dislocation

• Strains

• Falls

• Motor vehicle accidents

• An object striking a worker

Care and awareness might prevail

If you are a new worker, you might want to be sure that you have the proper training to do your job safely. Ask for more training and be alert to issues that might cause an accident. It is the responsibility of your employer to make sure your work environment is safe, but you can play a role.

First-year workers are most at risk for accidents on the job. Studies show that restaurant and construction work are the industries where many of the injuries took place in recent years. They concluded that training may be lacking for new employees.

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn