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What Are The Most Common Workers Compensation Claims

January 03, 2019

Workers compensation helps pay for injuries sustained in the workplace by employees. Each state has different workers compensation requirements, but typically if a business has at least one paid employee it must have workers compensation insurance. The benefits provided to workers generally consist of medical expenses, death benefits, lost wages, and rehabilitation services.

While no one thinks they’ll get injured on the job, workers compensation claims are a lot more common than you’d think. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were approximately 2.9 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported by private companies in 2016. That’s about 2.9 cases per 100 full-time workers! What are some of the most common claims? Let’s take a look at the top five categories according to the Bureau’s 2011 study.


Overexertion will happen when someone is lifting, pulling, or pushing something, and they pull a muscle or damage a joint. These injuries are common for factory and construction workers, but can also be seen in office environments as well.

Slips and Trips

Slips and trips are very common in the workplace. Fortunately, many don’t lead to injury. Slips and trips commonly happen from slipping on wet floors or snowy walkways, or from tripping over cords and elevated sections of flooring. These injuries are common in all environments, but can often be seen in an office setting.

Fall to Lower Level

Falls to a lower level are when someone falls from a ladder, roof, or down a flight of stairs. Falls like these often result in severe injuries. You will often see these claims in the construction industry.

Bodily Reaction

A bodily reaction injury is when someone may be tripping or slipping, and is able to avoid falling, but gets injured as a result of avoiding the fall. Common bodily reaction injuries are sprained ankles or wrists. You will often see these injuries in the medical field.

Struck by Object

Typically, when someone is struck by an object it’s because something falls off a shelf or someone accidentally drops an object on someone. These types of injuries will happen to office, restaurant, and retail workers most often.

As you can see, there are many injuries that can happen in the workplace. That’s why it’s vital and required by law to carry workers compensation insurance. There are many nuances to make sure you have the right workers compensation insurance, so make sure you talk with your insurance agent about the right coverage for your business.