A new study reveals this is the state with the highest rate of workplace injury incidents.
Research conducted by experts at High Rise Financial analyzes the most recent data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics to reveal the rate of nonfatal workplace injury incidents and illnesses across each US state.
The study reveals that Maine is the state with the most work injury incidents in the workplace, with the highest rate being 4.7 out of every 100 full-time workers.
On average, 2.8 workers out of every 100 in the United States are injured every year. Maine’s rate is 67.8% higher than the yearly average.
Maine also had the highest rate of injury or illness which led to restricted work or job transfer, involving 1.4 of every 100 workers. Job transfers are often the result of work restrictions leading to a temporary change in an injured worker’s routine job functions.
Oregon and Vermont placed next in the rankings, with a workplace injury incident rate of 3.8 out of 100 full-time workers.
Oregon also ranked high for the rate of cases resulting in days away from work, with 1.7 of every 100 workers taking one or more days off due to workplace injuries.
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Washington ranks fourth for the highest number of workplace injury incidents, while Montana follows in fifth place. The top ten is rounded out by Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, and Nevada, all coming out with a total of 3.3 out of 100 recordable cases per 100 workers.
Generally, Northern states have higher percentages of people working in jobs such as healthcare and personal care, nursing, and heavy tractor/truck driving. This is particularly significant with healthcare professions, which are known to be some of the most dangerous.
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These types of professions tend to have higher risk factors, such as environmental hazards, burnout, and even violence. In fact, nearly 2 million American workers report being victims of workplace violence each year.
In Maine, most recent data shows 15,890 people out of 592,000 registered employees (2.68%) are home health and personal care aides, and 14,380 people out of 592,000 (2.43%) are registered nurses. These professions are the second and third most popular in the state.
A spokesperson for High Rise Financial, a pre-settlement legal funding company, has commented on the findings:
“The number of cases, particularly in the top five states of the study, show just how often workers across the US are involved in accidents in the workplace. It is extremely important for employers to address these statistics, emphasizing the implications of a potentially dangerous working environment.
“Not only can workplace accidents directly impact workers’ health and safety, but also the workforce as a whole, losing team members and potentially incurring financial losses if cases are taken to court.
“Slips, trips, and falls are the top cause of all workers’ compensation claims, incurring injuries such as broken bones, sprains, cuts, pulled muscles, and damage to the back, head, and neck. Whilst these types of injuries are described as ‘nonfatal,’ they can result in hospitalization and missed workdays, often resulting in financial losses.
“Accidents in a workplace can pose many complications in injury cases, due to the number of parties that are often involved as well as the time they can take to be resolved,” continues the High Rise Financial spokesperson. “While legal representatives can resolve some lawsuits quickly, most take months or even years to settle. As a result, many workplace injury victims amass debt while waiting for their settlement. Therefore, opting for pre-settlement funding can help a claimant access money prior to their settlement, to avoid a buildup of debt without applying for a loan.”
The research was conducted by High Rise Financial, a pre-settlement legal funding company providing victims of personal injury cases with a portion of their anticipated settlement funds before their case officially settles.
