What accidents can happen in my office?

When people think about worksite accidents, they often imagine the most dangerous settings, from a construction site to an industrial plant. However, every work setting poses at least some threat to worker safety.

For instance, if you work in an office, you could still experience a work-related injury or illness. And some conditions are more likely and more severe than others are.

Three common causes of work injuries

According to data from the National Safety Council, three types of injuries are most common across all industries and result in missed workdays. These injuries stem from overexertion, falls and contact with objects.

In the office setting, these incidences could take several different forms.

• Overexertion injuries could happen when you lift or push heavy objects. You could also suffer injuries stemming from repetitive actions, like typing or lifting. These actions can cause back pain, knee pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and nerve damage, among other injuries.
• Falling injuries can happen when an object falls on you or if you fall from a height. For instance, you might break a bone after falling from a ladder or suffer brain trauma after a falling box hits you on the head. You might also experience muscle strains or sprains after a slip-and-fall accident.
• Contact with objects can result in crushing injuries. Whether a person is struck by a falling or thrown object or gets stuck in heavy machinery, they can experience severe injury to limbs, burns and spinal cord damage.

These are all situations that can affect people working in an office setting, and they can all result in painful injuries and lost days of work.

Protecting yourself before and after an accident

Safety might not be at the top of your mind when you work in an office. However, knowing that there are these risks can allow you to better protect yourself on the job.

Some precautions you can take involve asking for help when moving or lifting objects, watching out for slippery floors and staying alert when working with machinery.

Unfortunately, despite all your best efforts, you can still get injured on the job. When this happens, you can protect yourself by seeking workers’ compensation benefits to help in your recovery.