2019 Workplace Safety Index

Serious workplace injuries continue to affect U.S. businesses’ bottom lines, costing more than a $1 billion every week.

A key part of effectively running any business is keeping employees safe while on the job. Which is why when it comes to protecting employees (and their bottom line), employers need to understand the root causes of the most serious workplace injuries that occur every year.

According to the 2019 Workplace Safety Index study, the total cost of the most disabling work-related injuries, causing employees to miss five or more days of work, was $55.18 billion. The top ten causes and their costs are:

The annual ranking helps employers, risk managers, and safety professionals improve workplace safety by highlighting its financial impact and focusing resources on the leading causes of serious work-related injuries and illnesses. While overexertion continues to be the leading cause of serious workplace injuries, falls account for a growing proportion of losses.

To effectively improve safety, employers should understand the root causes of the most serious workplace injuries they experience, and the ways to effectively mitigate these through training, equipment and work design. Third-party administrators and brokers can be key resources to employers in these efforts.

Study Methodology:

The annual Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index is based on information from Liberty Mutual Insurance, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the National Academy of Social Insurance. Liberty Mutual and BLS injury data are analyzed to determine which events caused employees to miss more than 5 days of work. The Index then ranks those events by total workers compensation costs, which include medical and lost-wage payments.

To capture accurate injury cost data, each Index is based on data three years prior. Accordingly, the 2019 Index reflects 2016 data.