Employment Law, Workers' Compensation
Workplace injuries are more common than we’d like to believe. In 2020, 117 Ohio workers were killed on the job and another 101,000 were injured or suffered occupational illnesses serious enough that the incident required reporting. That’s about 2.4 incidents per 100 full-time or full-time equivalent workers.
44,700 injuries required days away from work, and another 14,000 required a job transfer or restrictions on work duties.
Of course, not all jobs are equally dangerous, check our list of the most dangerous jobs.
The new federal data reveals that Ohio saw a big drop in workplace deaths in 2022 despite occupational fatalities increasing throughout the whole country. However, the worker injury lawyers at Dyer, Garofalo, Mann & Schultz note that some jobs may carry a higher risk than others and are categorized as dangerous.
Here are the most dangerous jobs, as per the Bureau of Labor Statistics for a recent year:
|
Occupation Category |
Percentage of Deaths |
|
Manufacturing |
17.5% |
|
Transportation and Warehousing |
16.4% |
|
Construction |
14% |
|
Forestry, Agriculture, Hunting and Fishing |
9.4% |
|
Health Care and Social Assistance |
6.4% |
The manufacturing industry is often considered dangerous due to the nature of its operations. Operations often involve the use of complex machinery and equipment, such as power presses, forklifts, and conveyor belts. This means improper operation or maintenance, lack of training, or mechanical failures can lead to accidents.
Also, many manufacturing processes expose workers to toxic substances through inhalation, skin contact, or ingestion. This may lead to respiratory problems, skin diseases, and even cancer.
The most common manufacturing job types include:
Transportation and warehousing facilities often involve working in high-risk environments such as loading docks, warehouses, and distribution centers, where heavy machinery is constantly in motion. If there is a failure to follow proper safety measures, accidents and injuries are more likely.
Also, this industry relies heavily on the use of large trucks, forklifts, cranes, and other heavy machinery to transport and handle goods. Operating these machines requires specialized training and expertise. A slight mishandling or malfunction can result in serious collisions, tip-overs, and crushing injuries.
Construction is the third leading cause of death in places like Ohio. Also, deaths due to slips, falls, and trips at construction sites went to 5.9 percent in 2021 across the county. This is because these sites are dynamic and often involve working at elevated heights, with exposed edges, and in confined spaces. These conditions increase the risk of falls, trips, and slips, leading to serious injuries.
Often, we witness structural collapses and trenching hazards where workers get trapped or injured. If there are no proper precautions and safety measures put in place, these incidents can result in fatal accidents.
Some of the construction workers who are at risk include:
Despite advancements in safety equipment, training, and technology, the risks associated with forestry, agriculture, hunting, and fishing are still significant. Injuries may happen when workers come into contact with moving machinery, get caught in equipment, or are struck by falling objects.
Also, workers in these industries often interact with wild animals and aquatic species. Animal-related incidents can occur during encounters with aggressive or startled animals, leading to bites, kicks, or trampling injuries or fatalities.
All too often, workers risk their health and safety to keep patients healthy in the healthcare and social assistance setting. They are usually exposed to infections, drugs, and chemicals, and they even may get injuries due to overexertion. These jobs are primarily associated with the following facilities:
Most of the workplace fatalities occur in a handful of industries. Production, transportation, and material moving occupations accounted for 43 deaths or about 42.5% of fatal work injuries. Nearly half of those injuries involved transportation incidents.
Other industries with a significant number of fatal workplace injuries included:
While the professions listed above probably don’t come as a surprise, fatal injuries can occur in any sector. For example, in 2020, eight Ohio sales and office employees died as a result of workplace injuries or toxic exposures. So did six retail workers.
Government jobs accounted for just 7.6% of workplace fatalities in Ohio in 2020, though about 14.5% of the state’s workforce is employed by governmental entities.
Across the 117 workplace deaths in 2020, 41 involved transportation incidents. Other causes included:
Certain industries account for a large number of injuries and a large percentage of total workplace injuries in Ohio. These include:
The raw numbers don’t necessarily indicate just how dangerous a profession or industry is, though. In some cases, the larger numbers are partly attributable to a larger industry with more employees. In other cases, a general category has a lot of injuries, but the chances of being injured vary greatly from one sector of the industry to another.
For example, manufacturing is more dangerous than the average Ohio job.
The overall injury rate is 2.4 per 100 full-time or full-time equivalent workers, and the rate in the manufacturing industry is 3.5 per 100. But, within the manufacturing industry, some niches have much higher incidence rates. Forging and stamping has a 5.0 per 100 rate of injuries, and manufacturing of agricultural, construction, and mining machinery has a 4.8 per 100 rate. Meanwhile, sectors like paper manufacturing and computer and electronics manufacturing have injury rates that are a fraction of the average.
Private industry health care and social assistance has a rate of 5.4 per 100 workers–more than double the average. But, that rate is disproportionately attributable to nursing homes and residential care facilities, where the rate is 12.4 per 100 workers. And, that rate is even higher in state-run nursing homes and residential care facilities, where the injury rate is 19.7 per 100 workers–more than eight times the rate for all state employees.
The seriousness of the injuries also varies by sector. For instance, about 25% of injuries sustained in private sector hospitals required days away from work. But, nearly 77% of reported injuries in private-sector nursing homes and residential care facilities resulted in lost work days.
Some jobs are riskier than others. How dangerous a job is depends in part on the industry and the niche within the industry. But, those aren’t the only variables. Many factors that determine how safe or dangerous your workplace depends on the employer, your co-workers, and even you.
Workplace injuries happen in many different ways, but some of the most common include:
Most of these injuries can be prevented with precautions such as:
Of course, fully implementing these safety measures requires the cooperation of your employer. Ideally, your company will provide safety training, create a safe set-up for the workspace, implement guidelines to keep the workplace running safely, provide protective gear and equipment, and ensure that all machinery is in safe working order.
Many of these safety measures–and others–are mandated by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Ohio law also requires employers to maintain a safe workplace. If your employer fails or refuses to maintain a safe working environment, you may be able to report safety violations.
If you’ve already suffered a workplace injury in Ohio, your next step should be to determine how to secure the compensation you need to cover medical and living expenses as you recover. In most situations, an injury sustained at work will be covered by Ohio workers’ compensation benefits. With a few exceptions, workers’ compensation covers injuries that occur in the course of employment regardless of who is at fault. That’s good for the injured worker because it means you don’t have to prove that the employer was negligent to qualify for benefits.
There’s a downside, too: in most cases, workers’ compensation is an exclusive remedy in Ohio. That means you generally can’t sue your employer for a workplace injury, even if the employer was negligent. Since workers’ compensation benefits are more limited than damages in a personal injury case, your recovery may be limited.
There are some exceptions, though, so it’s important to talk with an experienced Ohio work injury lawyer. For example:
The experienced work injury attorneys at Dyer, Garofalo, Mann & Schulz offer free consultations to people who have been injured at work. The sooner you understand your rights and options, the better. Contact us right now to get started. Just call 937-222-2222 or fill out the contact form on this site.
Before establishing Dyer, Garofalo, Mann & Schultz L.P.A., Doug Mann, a top Ohio Injury Attorney served as a bodily injury claims adjuster at a major insurance firm. With over 40+ years of experience, Doug’s background has proven invaluable in securing maximum cash settlements for his clients swiftly. Since leaving the insurance industry, Doug has devoted his entire legal career to assisting injured clients during their times of greatest need.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Doug Mann who has more than 20 years of legal experience as a practicing personal injury attorney.
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