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More fatal injuries occur on construction sites than in any other workplace. However, construction sites are not the only place workers suffer injuries. Workers in many industries and work settings get injured while performing their job duties. 

What Is a Workplace Injury? 

Workplace injuries include any medical condition, trauma, or occupational disease that occurs in the course and scope of your job duties. Because of the breadth of the term “workplace injury,” almost every work setting in the U.S. has at least some workplace injuries. 

In 2023, the U.S. had 5,283 fatal workplace injuries and 2.6 million non-fatal workplace injuries. These injuries occurred across every occupation, from office work to commercial fishing. 

Construction Site Injuries 

Construction site injuries are a subset of workplace injuries. In other words, construction injuries are workplace injuries that occur on construction sites. Thus, construction site injuries are a type of workplace injury, but not all workplace injuries occur on construction sites. 

Construction sites have a well-earned reputation for hazardous conditions. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 1,075 fatal construction site injuries in 2023 to lead all industries. This number eclipsed the second-place industry by over 140 deaths. 

In addition to these fatal injuries, construction workers suffered over 173,000 non-fatal construction injuries. These cases included everything from orthopedic injuries to permanent brain damage. 

Common Workplace Injuries 

Workplace injuries are different for different industries and jobs. For example, truckers often get injured in vehicle accidents. They can also get hit by other vehicles at truck stops or while securing loads. 

By contrast, retail workers typically do not get injured in truck accidents. Instead, they tend to suffer orthopedic injuries due to repetitive movements, overexertion, and hyperextension. 

Some common workplace injuries include the following: 

Strains and Sprains 

Strains happen when workers hyperextend muscles and tendons. For example, a worker might stretch or tear a muscle while lifting a heavy object. Strains cause the following symptoms: 

• Muscle pain 
• Weakness 
• Spasms 
• Stiffness 
• Swelling 

Sprains occur when a worker hyperextends ligaments holding joints together. Thus, a worker could sprain a knee when they slip on a wet step and stretch or tear the ligaments inside of it. Sprains cause the following issues: 

• Joint pain and instability 
• Limited range of movement 
• Inflammation 

A mild strain or sprain may heal in four to six weeks. A severe strain or sprain might require reconstructive surgery to repair the torn tissue. 

Disc Injuries 

Collagen discs sit between the vertebrae in your spine. These discs provide a slick, strong surface for the vertebrae to move while also giving your spine its flexibility. Pressure on the back can damage the discs. 

If the disc compresses and deforms without tearing, you have a bulging disc. If the disc’s outer shell tears and allows the inner material to squeeze out, you have a herniated disc. In either case, the protrusion can press on nearby nerves, causing the following symptoms: 

• Radiating pain 
• Numbness 
• Tingling 
• Weakness 
• Loss of dexterity 

Doctors cannot repair discs. Instead, they either remove it and fuse the spine or replace it with an artificial disc. 

Broken Bones 

Bones can fracture when they encounter an impact or excessive stress. A broken bone usually heals within six to eight weeks without any long-term complications. However, in rare cases, a broken bone can alter the bone’s geometry, increasing the risk of arthritis or other degenerative joint problems. 

Repetitive Stress Injuries 

Repetitive stress injuries start as small cracks and tears in your body’s tissues. If you repeatedly stress them instead of allowing them to heal, the cracks and tears expand. Eventually, you have a stress injury that causes pain and instability in the injured body part. 

Common Construction Site Injuries 

Most construction site injuries result from the following “focus four” accidents: 

• Falls, including elevated falls and slips and falls 
• Electrocution 
• Struck by or against an object or vehicle 
• Caught in or between vehicles or objects 

These accidents produce injuries similar to those in other industries, including fractures, strains, sprains, and spine injuries. 

Legal Rights After Workplace Injuries 

New York requires almost all employers to provide workers’ compensation insurance. After a workplace accident, the victim can seek medical and partial wage replacement benefits while they recover. 

Although the worker’s employer is immune from most work injury lawsuits, the worker can pursue third-party claims against anyone who contributed to their injuries other than their employer and co-workers. These claims may be asserted against the following parties: 

• Negligent drivers 
• Careless property owners 
• Manufacturers of defective products 

These claims can provide compensation for the costs and losses not covered by workers’ compensation. 

Contact Us to Learn More About Workplace Injuries 

A workplace injury can present complicated factual and legal issues, particularly when multiple parties might have contributed to the injury. Silberstein, Awad & Miklos has extensive experience helping injured workers explore all their options for financial compensation.  

Contact us for a free consultation to discuss your injuries and how we can help you.