According to the 2018 Index, non-fatal workplace injuries amounted to $58.5 billion in direct U.S. workers’ compensation costs – each year there are over 1 million work-related injury and illness cases resulting in days away from work. Not only is it the employer’s responsibility to ensure a safe work environment, each employee also has a responsibility to themselves to take caution when on the job.

The most-common causes of workplace injuries are:

Overexertion and bodily reaction includes:
– Non-impact injuries: Result from excessive physical effort directed at an outside source; common activities include lifting, pushing, turning, holding, carrying, or throwing
– Repetitive motion: Micro tasks resulting in stress or strain on some part of the body due to the repetitive nature of the task, typically without strenuous effort such as heavy lifting

Slips, trips and falls include the following types of events:
– Slips and trips without falling; injuries occurring when a worker catches himself or herself from falling due to slip or trip
– Falling on the same level; includes tripping, slipping, falling while sitting, and falling onto or against object on the same level
– Falling to a lower level; includes falling from a collapsing structure, falling through surfaces, and falling from ladders, roofs, scaffolding or other structures

Contact with objects or equipment, including:
– A moving object striking a worker
– A worker striking against an object or equipment, including bumping into, stepping on, kicking, or being pushed or thrown onto an object
– A part of a worker’s body being squeezed, pinched, compressed or crushed in equipment, between shifting objects, between stationary objects, or in a wire or rope
– A worker being struck, caught or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material
– A worker being injured as a result of friction or pressure between the person and the source of injury

If you’ve been seriously injured on the job by faulty equipment, make sure you have the help of an experienced Illinois workplace injury lawyer. At Krol, Bongiorno & Given, we understand that many families depend on the income of an injured worker, and we are proud of our record protecting the injured and disabled. We have handled well over 30,000 claims for injured workers throughout the state of Illinois. Call us at (312) 726-5567 for a free consultation or contact us online.