In a country like the United States -- with its inexorable business mantra and scores of millions of workers engaged in widely diverse jobs and industries -- workplace injuries are recurring and inevitable, with the human and financial costs associated with employee accidents annually being staggering.

As to the sheer magnitude of job-related injuries and the economic losses sustained from them, consider this statistic offered by researchers who culled relevant data from more than 40 databases tracking workers' injuries and attendant productivity costs: Employment-related injuries and illnesses cost the United States $31 billion more each year than do all the costs related to all types of cancers.

Workplace Injuries: If Anything, the Toll is Underestimated

People generally know that injury/illness costs are high in Connecticut and elsewhere across the country; they just don't know how high.

"It's unfortunate that occupation health doesn't get the attention it deserves," says a researcher and professor involved with the recent study. He notes the following:

  • Job illnesses cost the country about $250 billion annually
  • Worksite injury costs have increased by more than $30 billion within the past decade
  • Data from a recent year posit about 59,000 workplace-related deaths (15,000 more fatalities than resulted from motor vehicle accidents)
  • Many millions of workers are injured on the job in any given year

Who picks up the costs for these losses? Medical insurance, Medicare and Medicaid cover much of the tab, with workers' compensation benefits also being an important component.

The Role of an Experienced Workers' Compensation Attorney

Workers' comp payments can be of paramount importance to an injured worker and his or her family. Often, though, a knowledgeable and diligent attorney is needed to help an employee secure benefits promptly and in the full amount to which the worker is entitled.

Moreover, a proven workers' comp attorney will carefully investigate whether an injured worker has a third-party claim against parties other than the employer who might have contributed to an accident or injury.

Source: U.S. News & World Report, "U.S. work-related injuries, illnesses take toll on the till" Jan. 20, 2012