10 Most Common Work Injuries for Construction Workers

Construction work is a dangerous profession, but what injuries occur the most? Here’s a list of the top 10 injuries facing construction workers every day.

1. Back Injury – Construction workers are often working at extreme heights and a fall can mean a serious back or neck injury. Back injuries also occur from heavy lifting and repetitive motion over years of working in the field.
2. Head Injury – Falling debris can cause severe head injuries for many construction workers. Even when wearing proper headgear, falling objects from extreme heights can still have disastrous outcomes.
3. Eye Injury – Often times in construction work there is a lot of debris or particles in the air around you from the work being done. If proper safety goggles aren’t always worn, or if you don’t know they need to be worn, an eye injury can occur. In severe situations this can lead to blindness.
4. Knee Injury – Heavy lifting and repetitive motion are to blame for many knee injuries construction workers suffer.
5. Crushing Injuries – In the case of a trench or building collapse, a construction worker can suffer serious crushing injuries including broken bones and even suffocation.
6. Burns – Construction sites are filled with chemicals and hazardous materials that can cause explosions or burns. Burns are a very serious injury that require extensive recovery time and treatment.
7. Heatstroke – Due to the harsh work environments and long hours, many construction workers suffer from heatstroke or exhaustion. In severe cases this can require hospitalization to replenish nutrients and electrolytes to return the body to a healthy state.
8. Respiratory disease – Respiratory diseases are very common among construction workers due to the hazardous work conditions they’re in every day. Asbestos related diseases, black lung, and chronic pneumonia are some of the most common respiratory diseases seen in this line of work.
9. Hearing Loss or Damage – Many people don’t think about their ears when they think about injuries, but in this field it’s a very common injury. Over time, the loud machinery and tools can cause permanent hearing loss in a worker.
10. Muscle Strains –Heavy lifting and repetitive motions are to blame for this injury as well and many of the others mentioned. The best treatment for a muscle strain is rest and ice, but many workers don’t feel able to take a day or two off to let their bodies heal.

Unfortunately, no matter how much you prepare, accidents still happen. Make sure you’re prepared to get the care you need, quickly.

OrthoNOW helps you be prepared to act the second an injury occurs. And with our early intervention and active treatment philosophy, you’ll be able to fully recover and get back to work much faster.  

Call OrthoNOW and take a step toward being prepared by speaking with one of our health experts – before you HAVE to.