Donald Fohrman Agrees that Overexertion is Most Common Cause of Workplace Injury

Chicago, illinois, April 6, 2015 (Newswire.com) - A new study from the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety found that overexertion was the number one cause of workplace injuries in 2014. Overexertion involves putting more effort into an activity than the body can handle. Pushing, pulling, lifting, and carrying can all lead to overexertion.

Illinois workers' compensation lawyer Donald Fohrman agrees with the study's findings. "In my experience, many of these injuries come from a worker simply being asked to do to much," he explained. "They try and lift too much weight or carry too much and that leads to a back or neck strain. Then the worker has a chronic injury that makes it difficult for them to work."

According to the study, overexertion accounted for more than 25 percent of all work injuries in 2014. In total, overexertion led to more than $15 billion in workers' compensation claims. The remainder of the top five of injury causes included falls on the same level, being struck, falls on a lower level, and unusual body reactions.

According to Mr. Fohrman, many of these accidents are preventable. "That's possibly the most frustrating part of these findings," Mr. Fohrman argued. "Some basic preventative measures can eliminate most overexertion injuries. Unfortunately, companies either don't implement these measures or they don't stress the importance of safety to their workers."

Mr. Forhman suggested, "Companies have a financial incentive to invest in these measures. Less overexertion means fewer claims, which means lower insurance premiums. Obviously, there's more work to be done to increase employee safety."