Safety index offers insights into drivers of serious injuries by industry

Published annually, the Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index identifies the leading causes of the most disabling non-fatal workplace injuries (resulting in more than five days of lost time) and ranks them by total Workers' Compensation costs. U.S. companies lose more than $1 billion per week due to workplace injuries, according to the report that is based on 2018 data from Liberty Mutual, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the National Academy of Social Insurance.

The top causes of the most serious workplace injuries have been consistent over the past several years, with overexertion (lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, carrying) and falls from the same level topping the list. According to the report, the top ten causes of industrial accidents are:

Overexertion involving outside sources or handling an object, cost $13.3 billion
Falls on the same level, cost $10.6 billion
Falls to a lower-level, cost $6.26 billion
Struck by object or equipment, cost $5.6 billion
"Other" exertions or bodily reactions (awkward postures), cost $4.7 billion
Vehicle crashes, cost $3.16 billion
Slip or trip without fall, cost $2.52 billion
Colliding with objects or equipment, cost $2.46 billion
Caught in or compressed by running equipment or machines, cost $2.01 billion
Repetitive motions involving microtasks, cost $1.66 billion

For industry-specific information: