“Overexertion,” “falls,” and “struck-by and object or equipment” are the costliest workers compensation injuries, accounting for more than half of the $58.8 billion spend, based on 2022 data, Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. revealed in its safety report released Tuesday.
The study named “overexertion involving outside sources” as the top cause, accounting for $13.7 billion in costs, largely due to “manual material handling.” “Falls on the same level,” costing $10.5 billion annually, was named the second leading cause. “Struck by object or equipment” and “falls to a lower level” also continue to be major injury drivers, together accounting for nearly $11.6 billion in costs.
Injuries due to “other exertions and bodily reactions,” “roadway incidents,” and “caught-in or compressed by equipment” also feature prominently on the list of top comp injuries.
Fifty-six percent of workplace injuries affect the back, shoulder, knee or multiple body parts — costing nearly $32.6 billion, and musculoskeletal injuries remain a major driver, according to the report.
Not listed among the top injuries are “repetitive motion injuries from microtasks,” a subset that plummeted by 44% in costs.
Liberty Mutual’s annual workplace injury report is based on information from its database, customized data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Office of Safety, Health, and Working Conditions, and the National Academy of Social Insurance. The 2025 report reflects 2022 data.
This article was first published in Legal Newsline.
