Unintentional accidents are at an all-time high and are presently the third leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer. The direct costs of a workplace injury only comprise 29 percent of the total injury costs. The indirect costs are an additional 71 percent. Direct costs cover the actual amount of money that is spent or will be spent on the medical care for the individual who has been injured or the money given to the family of a deceased.
But direct costs are only the tip of the iceberg and only a fraction of the total cost of a workplace injury. Indirect costs can include:. Companies have a moral obligation to provide a safe working environment for their workers. On top of that, delivering safety also helps avoid a damaged reputation, diminished morale, and added costs. Safety software can help. Injury prevention programs are a combination of training, processes, and safety software solutions.
Every employee wants to feel confident that the company has taken all measures to reduce the risk of injury. If an accident occurs, they also want to know the event was handled properly, investigated well, and that appropriate corrective steps have been taken. After a worker is injured, employers can expect that productivity will take a temporary dip. Will they have to pick up the slack? Work overtime? Train a temporary employee?
Another factor for employers to consider when determining the actual cost of employee injuries is how much work time is lost. The NSC found that permanent disabilities from injuries obtained in years prior to still resulted in 35 million lost work days in And looking ahead, NSC predicted that employees who were injured in will account for 50 million lost work days in years to come.
The NSC lists the top five :. Beyond the training mandates, such as those required by OSHA , employers can invest in safety by maintaining awareness and promoting a constant culture of accident prevention.
They will be happier and more productive when they feel protected. Workplace injury hurts the worker, company production, employee morale, impinges productivity, and severely impacts the bottom line. The most common types of injuries that result in time away from work are primarily musculoskeletal in nature.
They include:. Back and neck issues are a huge problem in all kinds of work environments, including remote workers who spend too much time in front of a computer screen. Repetitive injuries are very common causes of workplace injuries. Repeated stress on joints and muscles can cause chronic illnesses to flare; and again, these are primarily related to the musculoskeletal system.
This includes:. The most common types of events or injuries that OSHA records are related to overexertion caused by repeated lowering, bending, squatting, and lifting. Being struck or caught by machinery is the second most common. Falling objects are always a hazard as well as crush injuries from a mishandle of heavy equipment. Concussions can occur more commonly than you probably realize, as do injuries to the back, hands, and legs on the job.
The direct costs are what most people are familiar with. Indirect costs are much less familiar but are certainly just as important as direct costs if not more so. To give a simple visual reference, think of injury costs as an iceberg. The direct costs are what we can see and the indirect costs are the much larger, much deeper parts we cannot see without careful inspection.
Below are examples of indirect costs associated with an injury. While this list covers many areas, it is not by any means an exhaustive list. Each company will have additional factors depending on the type of operation.
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