Accidents happen at work every day, all over the country. They’re an unavoidable aspect of running a business, and can prove to be quite serious in certain situations. Therefore, it’s important to be aware of how these incidents can be instigated – and implement procedures to reduce risks.

While there is no way to accurately pinpoint the most common type of accident for everyone– due to the fact that different working environments have different potential hazards – there are a number of statistics out there that we can discuss.

Slips and Falls

Officially, the most common type of accident at work is trips/slips/falls, which can lead to any number of specific injuries. After that, electrical incidents are the most common, followed by harm caused by manual handling and lifting.

In terms of the damage, most people suffer from some form of sprain or strain – possibly related to the back, head and neck. Others may be unfortunate enough to obtain occupational asthma or deafness, while vibration white finger and dermatitis are lesser known but not unheard of issues.

When comparing different industries, it is agriculture that has the most accidents with 2,240 injuries per 100,000 workers. Construction is second with 1,550, while transport had 1,250. With regards to the lowest rates, finance came out on top with 310, followed by education with 610.

Fatal Accidents

Statistics show that the most common cause of death in the workplace (between 1996 and 2008) was falling from a height. Transport related incidents were also quite frequent; whether falling from a vehicle or being hit by one. The types include cars, trucks and vans, but forklifts also proved to be quite dangerous.

There are approximately 1,500 injuries every year caused by forklifts – with many arguing that a lot of these are down to a lack of training, or even poor maintenance. Because of this, there are efforts being made to try and reduce this figure.

Another relatively common cause of death is being hit by moving and/or falling objects, and even being trapped by these objects.

The Consequences

The UK government published a report earlier this year, which stated approximately 28.2 million working days have been lost due to injury-related absences over the last twelve months. Of these, 4.7 million were due to workplace accidents – whereas the others were ill health related.

There was significant financial cost too. Absences set the economy back by around £14.2 billion – with £6 billion totalled for lost productivity, and £8.2 billion for victims as compensation. Workplace injuries alone represent £5.6 billion of this total value.

If you’ve suffered an accident in the workplace, or have developed an illness because of the environment you operate in, then you may be eligible for some compensation. Contact Accident Compensation 4UK for some excellent advice – and even receive a free quote within 30 seconds.