According to a recent article in Compact, a publication of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, the number of injury and illness cases in Minnesota’s workplaces continued its long-term downward trend. The most recent occupational injury and illness figures show that during 2010, there were an estimated 76,700 recordable injury and illness cases; about 21,500 cases involved one or more days away from work. The comparable figures for 2009 were 78,100 total cases and 21,000 days-away-from-work cases. There were 70 work-related fatalities in 2010, an increase from 61 fatalities in 2009, but below the annual average of 73 fatalities for the 2005 to 2009 period. These statistics, and many more detailing injury and illness rates and workplace fatalities for 2010, are available in the recently updated Minnesota Workplace Safety Report on the Department of Labor and Industry website.
Most Common Injuries
The report contains some very interesting information, including confirmation of what we have seen in our practice over the years with respect to the most common injuries. According to the report for 2010, the most commonly injured body parts in workers’ compensation cases were:
1. Back (not including the neck)
2. Multiple parts
3. Knee
4. Shoulder
5. Finger
6. Arm
7. Wrist
8. Ankle
9. Foot/toe
10. Hand/except finger
Report All Injuries
Any work injury, even those that appear to be minor, should be reported immediately. Very often, an injury that appeared to be no big deal when it happened, gradually turns into something more serious and may result in the need for medical care or lost time from work. For more information on The Risks of Not Reporting a Work Injury, see this previous post.
If you have been injured on the job and have some questions about the Minnesota work comp system, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. You can contact us, anytime, with questions about your case or to arrange an absolutely free consultation. It won’t cost you anything and we will always give you our honest assessment about whether you need a lawyer to represent you. If you have questions about How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Lawyer for a Work Comp Case, you can check out this previous post.
Remember, you are dealing with an insurance company which handles hundreds or thousands of claims every day. They have experienced claims adjusters and attorneys managing their files. Even if you don’t need a lawyer at the moment, a little information about how the work comp system works can make a big difference for you in your dealings with the insurance company. At Bradt Law Offices, we have been providing assistance to injured workers all across northern Minnesota and the Iron Range for nearly 30 years.
As always, thank you for visiting our blog and please spread the word that we are a good source for work comp information for workers injured in northern Minnesota and anywhere on the Iron Range.
