According to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national average for work-related injuries is 3 injuries for every 100 workers. However, injury rates vary widely. Let’s look at the eight most dangerous industries for a Georgia resident.
1. Animal Production and Aquaculture: 16.5 injuries for every 100 workers
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that animal-related occupations are dangerous, since it’s impossible to predict how animals will behave in stressful situations. Cattle ranching, hog farming, sheep or goat farming, poultry production, and other businesses focused on keeping, breeding, or feeding livestock place workers at risk of injuries caused by the animals themselves as well as heavy lifting, repetitive motion, and slip and fall injuries.
2. Nonscheduled Air Transportation: 11 injuries for every 100 workers
Nonscheduled air transportation refers to transporting passengers or cargo outside predetermined schedules. This includes air ambulance services, which face a high risk of work-related injury due to the stressful nature of their job and the necessity of transporting sick or injured people in bad weather or other adverse conditions. In Georgia, these types of jobs are found at facilities such as Emory Healthcare, Northside Hospital, and Piedmont Healthcare.
3. Couriers and Messengers: 9.2 injuries for every 100 workers
Couriers and messengers are people who deliver or pick up messages, packages, or documents traveling via foot, bicycle, motorcycle, or automobile. Their risk of injury comes from the fact that they’re in high traffic conditions for much of the workday and thus more likely to be involved in auto accidents. However, lifting packages that are too heavy can also create back problems and other similar injuries over an extended period of time. In Georgia, staffing companies such as Randstad often employ couriers and messengers for short-term or temporary assignments.
4. Textile and Fabric Finishing and Fabric Coating Mills: 8.5 injuries for every 100 workers
Textile and fabric finishing and fabric coating mills are businesses devoted to coating, laminating, rubberizing, varnishing, and/or waxing textiles for apparel or pther various commercial uses. Workers in this industry face a number of safety hazards, including toxic chemicals and heavy machinery. When safety precautions aren’t taken, serious injuries can result.
5. Rental and Leasing Services: 8 injuries for every 100 workers
The rental and leasing services industry encompasses business that rent goods and equipment to consumers as well as those that lease machinery or equipment to corporate customers. Within this industry, there are a number of jobs that pose serious safety hazards. However, delivery drivers and those who maintain or service equipment face added risks of danger.
6. Beverage Manufacturing: 7 injuries for every 100 workers
Workers in the beverage manufacturing industry face many of the same hazards as those who manufacture textiles. These dangerous are compounded when workers are poorly trained or working too many hours without sufficient rest breaks.
7. Nursing and Residential Care Facilities: 7 injuries for every 100 workers
Healthcare workers can be injured when they are transporting patients or assisting those who have limited mobility. In addition to heavy lifting injuries, they also face dangers from agitated, aggressive, or disoriented people who become physically violent while receiving care.
8. Furniture and Home Furnishings Stores: 6.7 injuries for every 100 workers
Furniture stores and places such as Lowes or Home Depot expose workers to a higher than average risk of heavy lifting, repetitive use, or slip and fall injuries. Those who work in the warehouse area are at the highest risk of suffering an on-the-job accident.
Seeking Compensation for Workplace Injuries
When workers are injured on the job, workers’ compensation benefits provide medical care as well as reimbursement for lost wages. In the case of a fatal injury, the deceased worker’s spouse and dependent children may be eligible for benefits.
If you or a loved one have suffered a work-related injury, an experienced attorney can advise you on the best way to maximize your eligibility for benefits. Contact the attorneys at Rechtman & Spevak for a free, no-obligation initial case review.
