The 10 Most Common Types of Work-Related Injury

Tens of thousands of U.S. workers are injured or killed on the job each year. While these numbers have declined over the past few decades -- thanks in part to the formation of OSHA -- work-related injury remains a top priority for employers and government officials alike. But what are some of the most common types of injuries sustained on the job?

The insurance company Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety recently set out to answer this question in its 2014 Workplace Safety Index. The Index lists the top 10 most common types of work-related injuries as well as their respective "direct" cost to employers.

According to the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety's 2014 Workplace Safety Index, the single most common type of work-related injury is overexertion, which costs employers approximately $15.1 billion annually. That's a shockingly high number, considering just how many other causes of injuries there are. The Index claims, however, that more than 1 in 4 of all work-related injuries involve overexertion.

Coming in a close second on the 2014 Workplace Safety Index was falls on the same level, which costs employers an estimated $9.19 billion annually. The good news is that most cases of fall-from-same-level injuries can be avoided if certain precautions are taken. Employers should keep walkways and floors clear to reduce the risk of such injuries. It's not uncommon for workers to lay their tools down on the floor, not thinking about the hazard it creates. By placing these tools on shelves or other elevated surface, however, it can reduce the risk of worker injury.

The Index found "struck by object or equipment" to be the third most common cause of work-related injury, costing employers $5.3 billion annually. Workers should maintain a general sense of their surroundings at all time, knowing exactly where machines and equipment are located.

And the fourth leading cause of work-related injury, according to the Index, is fall from elevated surface. As the name suggests, this occurs when a worker falls from a heightened platform. Although less common than falls from same level, they generally yield more serious injuries.

The remaining causes of work-related injuries listed in the Index are as follows:

5. Other exertions or bodily reactions $4.27 billion
6. Roadway incidents involving motorized land vehicle $3.18 billion
7. Slip or trip without fall $2.17 billion
8. Caught in/compressed by equipment or objects $2.1 billion

9. Repetitive motions involving micro-tasks $1.84 billion
10. Struck against object or equipment $1.76 billion