The 5 Most Common Accidents That Happen in a Manfacturing Setting

The Bureau of Labor Statistics defines the manufacturing sector as businesses that transform materials, substances or components into new products. In 2010, manufacturing jobs employed almost 12 million workers in the U.S. The environment, equipment, materials and nature of the process, along with the close proximity of the workers, causes a substantial number of work accidents. The Bureau reports that in 2009 the five most common types were, in descending order, contact with objects, overexertion, falls, repetitive motion and exposure to harmful substances or environment.

Contact

• Contact with objects was the cause of 36 percent of the accidents reported in 2010. There are several sub-categories involved. The main two are "struck" and "struck by." A worker strikes an object when he is moving and the object is stationary. Struck by is the reverse, a moving object is the main source of the injury. There are a wide variety of objects to either strike or be struck by. "Caught in or compressed" and "rubbed against or abraded" are two major sub-categories.

Overexertion

• Overexertion accounted for 22 percent of the accidents. Overexertion accidents are usually non-impact. They generally are the result of a single incident of excessive physical motion. Activities involving lifting, pulling, pushing, carrying or throwing something are typical sources of the injury. These injuries tend to be muscular in nature, with strains, sprains, nerve damage, ruptures or other internal injuries being common.

Falls

• Falls, including same level falls and falls to a lower level, caused 15 percent of the injuries. Same level falls occur when a person loses her balance and falls or when a person trips over an object or obstacle. Falls to another level include a wide variety of circumstances, but major causes are stairs, loading docks, roofs, ladders and scaffolds. Basically any fall that starts at a point higher than the landing surface is considered "to a lower level."

Repetitive Motion

• Repetitive motion injuries are similar in many ways to overexertion injuries and are in the same overall class. However, repetitive motion injuries are caused by a stress or strain that is repeated. Seven percent of manufacturing injuries were classified as caused by repetitive motion. Common activities include data entry, assembly line jobs where the worker has to reach for, move or grasp objects, and repeated motions with tools. Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most well-known example of a repetitive motion injury.

Exposure

• Exposure to harmful substances or environments is a large catch-all of conditions. Only 4 percent of accidents were caused by any factor in this classification. The main category is exposure to toxic substances, which also includes the inhalation of a substance. Electrical shock from any number of sources is a sub-category. Contact or exposure to temperature extremes or air pressure changes are included. Even exposure to radiation is accounted for.