Serious, nonfatal workplace injuries lead to nearly $60 billion in direct workers’ compensation costs per year, according to the
2017  Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index. The study also revealed the top 10 causes for these disabling and expensive injuries.

That staggering number translates into more than a billion dollars per week spent by U.S. businesses on these injuries, Liberty Mutual’s study revealed.

Biggest causes of injuries

The top 10 most disabling workplace injuries included:

1. Overexertion involving outside sources. This category includes injuries related to lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, carrying or throwing objects. It costs businesses $13.79 billion in direct costs and accounted for 23% of the overall national workers’ comp  burden.

2. Falls on the same level. This category had direct costs of $10.62 billion and comprised nearly 18% of the national injury burden.

3. Falls to a lower level . This had costs of $5.5  billion and carried 9.2%  of the burden.

4. Struck by object or equipment. Costs of $4.43  billion and 7.4%.

5. Other exertions or bodily reactions. $3.89  billion and 6.5%.

6. Roadway accidents involving motorized land vehicles. $3.7  billion and 6.2%.

7. Slip or trip without fall . $2.3  billion and 3.8%.

8. Caught in/compressed by equipment or objects. $1.95  billion and 3.3%.

9. Struck against object or equipment . $1.94  billion and 3.2%.

10. Repetitive motions involving micro-tasks. $1.81  billion and 3%.

Every year, the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety compiles the Workplace Safety Index. The numbers are based on information from Liberty Mutual, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the National Academy of Social Insurance. Liberty Mutual researchers dig through BLS data to determine which events cause employees to miss six or more days of work, and then they rank those events by total workers’ compensation costs.