Injury Statistics

Injuries at the workplace have far-reaching effects, sometimes lasting for years. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “The Incidence and Economic Burden of Injuries in the United States,” estimates that the lifetime cost of injuries in a single year in the United States, including occupational injuries, totals roughly $406 billion. This figure includes medical expenses, productivity losses, lost wages, benefits and other factors. The three largest areas for injury include motor vehicle accidents (22 percent), falls (20 percent), and upper extremity and lower extremity injuries (17 percent). Men account for 70 percent of all workplace injuries.