According to Allsup, a provider of Social Security Disability Insurance representation, Pennsylvania’s rate for workplace injuries is higher than the national average. Pennsylvania’s injury rate is 0.8 injuries requiring at least a temporary job transfer or restrictions per 100 workers, while the national average is 0.7 injuries. Maine has the nation’s highest rate at 1.4 injuries or illnesses for every 100 workers.
Allsup conducted a study called “Allsup Study of Workplace Injuries,” which was compiled using statistics from 2011 from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pennsylvania ties with nine other states for tenth place, while New York and the District of Columbia have the lowest rate of workplace injuries, at 0.1 injuries per 100 workers. Information on nine states wasn’t provided for the report.
The study also reports which industries were the most dangerous to work in. Amusement parks and arcades top the list of the 11 most dangerous industries, with 3.2 injuries or illnesses reported per 100 workers. Even among states, injury rates for the same industries varied; while motor vehicle manufacturing employees suffered 1.1 injuries per 100 workers in Tennessee, that number increased to 3.5 injuries per 100 workers in North Carolina.
Workers’ compensation is meant to cover reasonable medical expenses and wages lost if someone was injured at work. Claims are usually routine, but sometimes benefits can be denied. When this happens, a workers’ compensation attorney may be able to help the worker get the claim accepted or benefits reinstated. If a person’s workplace injuries permanently disable them, an attorney may be able to pursue Social Security disability benefits.
Source: Insurance Journal, “Rates for Same Workplace Injuries Vary by State: Study“, August 14, 2013