It’s easy to understand the risks in some occupations, like working in construction or becoming a firefighter. But it does seem relatively safer to have an office job. When someone just sits at a desk all day, working on a computer, they may believe that they are safe from injury.
This is not necessarily the case. Office workers are injured every day, and there are still significant hazards that they need to be aware of.
Injuries from falls
First of all, falls are one of the most common ways that people get hurt in the office. This could happen when someone slips on a wet floor that hasn’t been marked, for instance, or trips over a drawer that was left open on the bottom of a desk. There are also fall incidents involving inadequate lighting or staircases, which can be very dangerous.
Lifting injuries
Office workers sometimes have to lift things like stacks of paper, boxes of books or computer hardware. They could still suffer serious back injuries if they don’t make these lifts properly or if they aren’t given the right protective equipment to make the lift safely. They may not lift heavy items as often as someone in a warehouse or a factory, but that doesn’t mean there is no risk when they do.
Muscular-skeletal issues
Finally, office workers are at a high risk for many different muscular-skeletal issues. They could suffer from back pain from being hunched over in a non-ergonomic desk chair. They could suffer from arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome if they are constantly typing on a computer keyboard. Repetitive motion injuries are very common in the office.
When workers do get hurt on the job, they need to be sure they understand how to seek proper workers’ comp benefits.
