This week NCCI (the National Council on Compensation Insurance) published an update to a 2006 study showing traffic accidents are a leading cause of severe workers’ compensation injuries. The paper can be read here. Some important points to note:
1. The most common driver related factor for both large truck and passenger vehicle crashes was speeding. Driver distraction was second for trucks while driver impairment due to drowsiness, drugs or alcohol was second for cars. This is a great opportunity for employers to train their employees on safety on and off the job.
2. The top workers comp job categories with motor vehicle accidents are: salespeople (5.9% of total), clerical or office employees (5.6%), drivers/chauffeurs/messengers (5.1%), long haul truckers(3/9%) and auto service or repair (3.2%).
3. The highest number of injuries are: neck sprain (13.1% of total), neck pain (cervicalgia) (9.9%), lower back sprain (3%) , contusion of the face/neck/scalp (1.8%) and shoulder sprain (1.4%).
4. The most expensive injuries (highest amount of total incurred dollars) are: neck pain (9% of total), brain injuries (3%), neck sprain (2.8%), herniated discs (2.6%), and low back nerve damage (2.1%).
5. Workers compensation cases involving motor vehicle injuries are open longer at both the 24 and 60 month mark than other claims.
Employers can have a significant impact on motor vehicle accidents by encouraging safe practices through training. For more information on how The Flanders Group can help you lower the cost of your workers compensation insurance through training, call us at 800-462-6435.