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Legally Reviewed by:

Jonathan Rosenfeld
J.D

March 2, 2023

Over $400 Million worth of case results

Awarded The Best Lawyer in 2024 by U.S. News

Nationally Recognized in Legal Community

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data revealed that nearly three million nonfatal illnesses and injuries occur in the workplace Nationwide every year. However, statistically, less than 40% of the three million workers ever filed for worker’s compensation benefits they are entitled to receive.

Did you suffer a work injury, or did you lose a loved one through a wrongful death caused at work? The personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers have helped our clients navigate through the state’s complicated Worker’s Compensation benefits system and can help your family too.

Contact our law firm today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone call) or through the contact form to schedule a free consultation. Let us help you discover the extent of the work injury benefits you deserve.

For decades, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) regulators have worked with private industries to reduce workplace injuries and fatalities. Even so, hundreds of thousands of people are severely injured or killed every year in ways that could have been prevented had the employer and workers followed workplace safety regulations.

Workers Compensation Statistics and Facts

By law, nearly every employer in the United States must provide workers’ compensation insurance to every employee covering fatalities, injuries, and illnesses, caused in a specific workplace accident.

Federal statutes and state legislation govern workers’ compensation laws, providing fixed awards to every injured worker and their dependents in job-related diseases, illnesses, and accidents.

Nearly any employee injured on their job can apply for worker’s compensation benefits to ensure they receive pay while they heal. Other workers’ compensation statistics and facts include:

  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data reveals that 3.4 workers’ compensation claims are filed every year for every 100 full-time workers
  • In 2018, there were 5250 “total rate” workplace deaths in the United States, or 3.5 for every 100 full-time workers
  • Data revealed that in 2018, the total rate of injuries and illnesses in the workplace was 2.8 for every 100 full-time workers
  • In 2018, OSHA reported that most deaths in workplace accidents occurred in the construction industry, including falls (338), being struck by an object (112), electrocution (86), and being caught between objects (55)
  • In 2017, 4779 of the 5280 worker fatalities in the United States occurred in the private sector

Many federal workers do not qualify for workers’ comp awards but receive similar benefits through the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, Federal Employees Compensation Act, and the Jones Act

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the most dangerous industries in America with the most workplace-related deaths, injuries, and illnesses include:

Construction industry – The BLS data reveals that there are more workplace deaths in the construction industry every year than in any other occupation

Government jobs – Workers holding federal or state jobs experienced more nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses than any other industries that required the most days away from the job

Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industries – These industries ranked first and had the highest fatality rate per 100,000 workers

Transportation and warehousing industries – More workers in these industries experience the highest rate of days away from the job per 100,000 workers than other public and private sectors

Other dangerous occupations include mining, retail trade, utilities, manufacturing, and wholesale trade industries.

Overall Workplace Fatalities

The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the U.S. Department of Labor data through 2016 in 2017 identified the percentages of workplace fatalities in America, that included:

  • Transportation, including motor vehicle crashes (40%)
  • Falling accidents (17%)
  • Violence, homicide, and assault (16%)
  • Contact with equipment or objects (14%)
  • Environmental or harmful substance exposure (10%)
  • Explosions and fires (2%)

Construction Site Fatalities

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) data reveals that construction worker deaths have risen significantly over the last decade. Statistics show that hundreds of lives could be saved every year had employers and workers taken safety measures to prevent the “Fatal Four” leading reasons of fatalities on the construction site.

The fatal four death statistics for 2018 in the U.S. include:

  • Falling accidents lead to 338 construction fatalities
  • Being struck by an object led to 112 construction fatalities
  • Electrocution caused 86 deaths on construction sites
  • Being caught between or in objects lead to 55 construction deaths

While data shows that the number of workplace deaths has increased in recent years, the incidence rates have remained relatively steady, as have insurance premium rates and the cost for programs funding Workers’ Comp claims.

Which Employees Are Getting Hurt?

The U.S. Department of Labor released 2018 data on the number of cases involving workplace injuries and illnesses occurring across all private and government working sectors. These numbers include:

  • 68,470 laborers work injured or acquired work-related illnesses
  • 49,700 truck drivers, long haulers, and heavy tractor-trailer drivers were injured or acquired a work-related illness
  • 35,620 cleaners and janitors suffered on-the-job injuries or illnesses
  • 33,430 nursing assistants were injured on the job or experienced a facility-acquired illness
  • 29,370 repair workers and general maintenance employees were harmed through illness or accidents
  • 26,760 retail salespersons were harmed or became ill in their workplaces
  • 26,750 delivery service and light truck drivers suffered a workplace injury or acquired an illness from their job
  • 25,570 stock clerks and order filler employees acquired an illness or were injured in the workplace
  • 24,080 registered nurses were harmed on the job and became ill in their workplace
  • 21,710 construction laborers suffered a workplace injury or acquired an illness from their workplace

Bureau of Labor Statistics Worker’s Comp. Injury Data

In 2018, BLS released data identifying the work injury incident rate for every 100,000 full-time employees, including severe injuries and soft tissue injuries. The rate includes:

  • Strains, sprains, and muscle tears – 38.4
  • Bodily reaction and overexertion – 28.2
  • Falling, slipping, and tripping accidents – 23.9
  • Contacting equipment or objects – 23.5
  • Pain and soreness – 16.1
  • Contusions and bruises – 14.1
  • Lacerations, cuts, and punctures – 12.0
  • Fractures and bone breaks – 8.4
  • transportation accidents – 5.0
  • Violence including animal attacks – 4.4

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) regulations have significantly decreased incidence rates of worker deaths, injuries, and illnesses in the U.S. over the last few decades.

Workers Compensation Statistics: Claims Facts Per Industry

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that over 50% of all workplace accidents involve men. Work injury rates show that employees 55 years and older typically miss two weeks or longer for a workplace injury. However, workers under 25 years old miss only five days on average for a comparable accident.

Nonfatal work injury data and statistics reported in 2019 in the leading industries include:

  • 544,800 workplace injuries occurred in the healthcare industry in America, along with 32,700 workplace-related illnesses
  • 401,100 workplace injuries were reported in the retail industry, along with 8800 illnesses
  • 395,300 workplace injuries were reported in the manufacturing industry, along with 35,000 workplace-related illnesses
  • 271,000 workplace injuries were reported in food service and accommodation industries in the U.S., along with 7600 workplace-related illnesses
  • 213,100 workplace injuries were reported in the transportation and warehouse industries
  • 195,600 workplace injuries were reported in the construction industry, along with 3600 work-related illnesses
  • 66,100 workplace injuries were reported in the office and tech industries nationwide, along with 4400 work-related illnesses

Major contributing factors that lead to an injured employee filing a Worker’s Compensation claim in 2019 included overexertion, workplace violence, being struck by an object, falling, or a vehicle accident.

Illinois Workers’ Compensation Statistics

In 2020, the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission released its annual data and statistics report concerning injury sustained at work protected by the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act for previous years. Some Illinois workers’ compensation statistics for 2019 include:

  • 37,707 injured employees filed workers’ compensation claims, down from 38,392 in 2018
  • 86% of all filed workers’ compensation claims in 2019 were resolved through a settlement, at rates that dropped from 88% the previous year
  • 10% of all workers comp claims (3762) in the U.S. were dismissed
  • Surviving family members in Illinois are entitled to receive $8000 in death benefits for funeral and burial costs for work-related deaths as outlined by the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act – section 7 (f)
  • Illinois workers’ comp claimants received an average weekly wage (AWW) of $879.83 in 2019, up from $849.93 per case in 2018 in the U.S.
  • The Illinois statewide average weekly wage (SAWW) for 2019 was $1130.11, up from the previous year of $1097.85
  • Illinois work injury rates are about average compared to every other Midwestern state
  • The aggregate workers’ compensation benefit payments in Illinois for 2017 was $2,313,784, up 1.7% from the previous year at $2,354,119
  • The rate of aggregate workers’ compensation benefit payments in Illinois increased at a rate of 3.1% from the previous year compared to the national ranking that rose 0.8%
  • In 2017, 99.7% of all employees in Illinois were covered by workers’ compensation insurance, equal to New York cases, but less than the state of California cases at 100.0 %
  • The average injured worker awarded temporary total disability receives their workers’ compensation benefits in 18 weeks, which was significantly higher than the average Michigan case (15 weeks), Indiana (12 weeks), and Wisconsin (10 weeks)
  • Illinois has a frequency of injury rate of 2771 per 100,000 employees, which is significantly lower than the national average of 3392 per 100,000 workers
  • The Illinois Worker’s Compensation Commission could find an employer up to $500 daily for noncompliance if they “knowingly and willfully failed to obtain insurance.”
  • Illinois employers could face criminal charges or face a work-stop order for failing to obtain Workers’ Compensation insurance for all employees who work at any position in the company
  • In 2019, 547 companies were self-insured, avoiding the need to purchase Worker’s Comp. insurance coverage, including 196 parent companies, and 351 subsidiaries
  • Workers’ compensation costs are higher in Illinois than in any other Midwestern state
  • Independent contractors working in the State of Illinois are not eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits
  • Illinois businesses performing hazardous work, including the roofing and construction industry, must have workers’ compensation coverage for every individual, including owners and sole proprietors

Available Workers’ Comp Benefits

all employees injured on the job or experiencing a facility-acquired illness can file workers’ compensation claims seeking weekly wages paid through insurance coverage and state funds. Workers’ comp claims provide significant financial benefits for work accidents to help with the healing process and pay for time away from work.

According to the Social Security Administration, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Insurance Information Institute, these benefits could include:

  • Medical costs
  • Permanent total disability benefits
  • Permanent partial disability benefits
  • Temporary partial disability benefits
  • Vocational rehabilitation benefits
  • Wage reimbursement (wage loss compensation)

Workplace Injuries and Claim Costs

The market size in 2021 involving workers’ compensation insurance coverage is rooted $56.8 billion, up 0.8% from 2020. The advisory and financial services sector grew significantly faster than the workers’ comp insurance industry’s market size, likely due to high competition.

According to AIG (American International Group), Chubb Ltd., and Travelers Companies Inc., employers in the United States paid more than $62 billion in workers’ compensation claims. Approximately $30 billion of that amount went to compensating lost wages, and the remaining (nearly $2 billion) paid for the injured worker’s medical care.

In 2017, the National Safety Council released data on the highest average costs of workers’ compensation benefits to employers that year. Those national statistics include:

  • Work-related motor vehicle crashes cost employers over $78,000 on average nationwide
  • Burn and fire injuries cost the injured worker’s employer over $48,000 on average
  • Slip and fall injuries cost the average employer more than $46,000 on average

Other workers’ compensation payouts by injury type in 2017 include:

  • Amputation– more than $98,000
  • Burn injury– over $48,000
  • Bone dislocation or fracture– more than $58,000
  • Disease – over $35,000
  • Infections – more than $38,000

Approximately 18% of all yearly workplace fatalities in the United States involve foreign-born employees

How Employers Should Handle Workplace Injuries

Large and small business owners must conduct workplace incident investigations when an accident leaves a worker injured or killed. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) mandates employers to take investigative and corrective action to eliminate the potential of further harm to the injured worker or other employees.

These measures include:

  • Determining the root cause of the accident
  • Developing and implementing corrective actions
  • Developing and implementing a safety culture built on safety policies and procedures

Statistics reveal that approximately 90% of all accidents occurring in the workplace were caused due to a policy or procedure breakdown. OSHA recommends that employers take a “systems approach” when conducting a workplace accident investigation and trace back to the “affairs of the program that manage safety and health in the workplace.”

Using this method instead of a “behavioral approach” is more beneficial for identifying the problem and correcting it, instead of attributing the accident to a behavioral failure or human error.

The corrective action can help avoid workplace injuries and illnesses that OSHA states could cause suffering and significant “financial loss to workers and their families, and also result in significant costs to employers [and] society as a whole.”

OSHA also encourages employers to investigate any “near miss” where an incident almost caused an injury or death.

The steps typically include:

  • Securing the accident area to identify causal factors
  • Gathering eyewitness testimonies
  • Interviewing the injured worker and all witnesses
  • Documenting the worker’s injuries with videos and photographs

The investigation should also include supervision information, identifying who was supervising the worker at the time of the accident.

Other factors to consider include:

  • The time and shift when the accident occurred
  • Whether the employee was working alone
  • A location where the accident occurred
  • What the worker was doing when injured or killed
  • The specific work-related activities the worker was doing when injured or killed

OSHA regulators emphasized that “investigations are not affected if they focus on finding fault or blame [and that] a successful incident investigation must always focus on discovering the root causes.”

Don’t Be a Statistic. Hire a Personal Injury Attorney to Handle Your Workers’ Compensation Benefits Claim

Have your workers’ compensation benefits been rejected or delayed? Has your employer’s insurance carrier downplayed the severity of your injuries? Did the insurance company fail to give a legitimate reason for denying your claim?

The personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC can provide immediate legal intervention. Let us handle your Worker’s Comp, and indemnity benefits claim or appeal your case for reconsideration.

Contact our law offices today at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone call) or through the contact form to schedule a free consultation. All information you share with our law offices remains confidential through an attorney-client relationship.

Our law firm currently follows CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Covid-19 (coronavirus) social distancing guidelines to ensure our clients remain safe.

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Client Reviews

Jonathan Rosenfeld was professionally objective, timely, and knowledgeable. Also, his advice was extremely effective regarding my case. In addition, Jonathan was understanding and patient pertaining to any of my questions or concerns. I was very happy with the end result and I highly recommend Jonathan Rosenfeld.

- Michonne Proulx

Extremely impressed with this law firm. They took control of a bad motorcycle crash that left my uncle seriously injured. Without any guarantee of a financial recovery, they went out and hired accident investigators and engineers to help prove how the accident happened. I am grateful that they worked on a contingency fee basis as there was no way we could have paid for these services on our own.

- Ethan Armstrong

Jonathan helped my family heal and get compensation after our child was suffered a life threatening injury at daycare. He was sympathetic and in constant contact with us letting us know all he knew every step of the way. We were so blessed to find Jonathan!

- Giulia

This lawyer really helped me get compensation for my motorcycle accident case. I know there is no way that I could have gotten anywhere near the amount that Mr. Rosenfeld was able to get to settle my case. Thank you.

- Daniel Kaim

Jonathan did a great job helping my family navigate through a lengthy lawsuit involving my grandmother's death in a nursing home. Through every step of the case, Jonathan kept my family informed of the progression of the case. Although our case eventually settled at a mediation, I really was impressed at how well prepared Jonathan was to take the case to trial.

- Lisa
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