A study shows that rate of workplace injury and illness varies between U.S. states. Social Security Disability Insurance provider Allsup said that workers even in the same industry saw a different number of people getting sick or injured on the job depending on what state they worked in. Maine ranked at the top of states with the highest number of workplace incidents that were serious enough to require days of job transfer or restriction. Pennsylvania came in at No. 4 for frequency of serious incidents.
Allsup based its report on data from the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. After Maine on the list of worst states for worker illness and injury came Indiana and California, tied at No. 2. Pennsylvania tied with nine other states for the fourth-highest rate of injured and sickened workers. Not all states were counted in the study. Nine states didn’t provide data for the study.
The most dangerous industry for workers, according to on-the-job injury and illness rates, is amusement parks and arcades. Animal slaughtering and processing was next, followed by beverage manufacturing. Interestingly, the study found differences within the same industry group based in different states. For example, motor industry manufacturing injury and illness rates were higher in North Carolina than in Tennessee.
A Pennsylvania attorney experienced in litigating workers’ compensation cases may be able to help those who were injured or made sick on the job. Such help may include negotiating for lost wages, seeking reimbursement for medical expenses and other damages suffered as a result of an on-the-job incident. Furthermore, a lawyer well-versed in Social Security Disability litigation may be able to help get those benefits to disabled workers.
Source: Insurance Journal, “Rates for Same Workplace Injuries Vary by State: Study“, August 13, 2013