The 2024 Injury Impact Report from insurance provider The Travelers Cos. shows more than one-third of work-related injuries happen during workers’ first year on the job, resulting in more than 6 million missed workdays, according to Safety+Health magazine.
The report used data from more than 1.2 million workers’ compensation claims submitted from various businesses and industries between 2017 and 2021. It found employees in their first year on the job accounted for 35% of the claims, and the average number of missed workdays was 79.
The construction industry had the highest average number of missed workdays per claim with 103, followed by the transportation industry with 83.
The top five causes of injuries were:
- Overexertion, including injuries caused by lifting, twisting, pulling or pushing (29% of the claims)
- Slips, trips and falls (23%)
- Struck by an object (12%)
- Motor vehicle-related incidents (5%)
- Caught in/between hazards (5%)
Rich Ives, senior vice president of business insurance claims at The Travelers Cos., said inexperience, workforce shortages and maintenance issues were factors that contributed to worker injuries.
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