What is the most common workplace injury reported to OSHA, and how much is it costing the economy?
According to a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report, carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common workplace affliction with half of those workers so afflicted missing 30 days or more of work. Women were nearly three times as likely to develop carpal tunnel syndrome and were just as likely to receive those injuries on an assembly line as on a keyboard. Cumulative trauma disorders cost the American economy more than $100 billion annually and take the most severe toll on working women. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2003 that nursing homes and other personal care facilities are the third most hazardous workplaces in the country. More than 82,000 workers lost time due to injuries and illnesses. Nursing homes ranked first in the frequency of overexertion injuries with a rate of four to five times the national rate. Nurses’ aides who lift and move patients accounted for a large portion of those injuries.
