Workplace injuries and accidents that caused employees to miss six or more days of work cost U.S. employers nearly $62 billion in 2013, the most recent year for which statistically valid injury data was available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”) and the National Academy of Social Insurance, according to the 2016 Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index.

The 10 leading causes of the most disabling work-related injuries accounted for more than $51 billion, or 82.5 percent of the total cost of $62 billion.

“We rank the top 10 causes of the most serious, nonfatal workplace injuries by their direct costs each year to help companies improve safety, which better protects both employees and the bottom-line,” noted Debbie Michel, the general manager of Liberty Mutual's national insurance casualty operation. “Workplace accidents impact employees' physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing. They also financially burden employers, who pay all of the medical costs related to a workplace injury, together with some portion of an injured employee's pay. Beside these direct costs, workplace injuries also produce such indirect costs for employers as hiring temporary employees, lost productivity, quality disruptions, and damage to a company's employee engagement and external reputation.”