It’s generally understood that some jobs are more hazardous than others. For example, everyone recognizes that a construction worker is more likely to have an injury on the job than a lawyer. In fact, according to the New York Compensation Insurance Rating Board construction, manufacturing, health care, and services (such a restaurants and retail stores) are among the occupations with the highest frequency of injury.
There’s also a relationship between a workers’ age and the frequency of work-related injury. According to NIOSH, younger workers are more likely to be injured on the job than older workers, with the trend steadily declining from younger age groups to older age groups.
This NIOSH data was matched by a recent report by the Travelers Insurance Group, which found that 35% of workplace injuries occurred during a worker’s first year on the job. This would include many younger workers who are new to the workforce, but also covers newly-hired workers in general. According to Travelers, the most common causes of injury to new workers were “overexertion” (such as lifting), slip and fall accidents, and being struck by an object.
Travelers offered a number of suggestions for employers to consider when trying to reduce the risk of injury for new employees. These include discussing safety during the hiring process, doing a job safety analysis to identify risks, and building ongoing safety training into the workplace culture. All of these are good for both workers and employers to keep in mind as workers return to employment following the COVID pandemic.