5 Most Common Workplace Injuries and How They Are Treated

MBI is an occupational health provider who focuses on prevention, management and treatment of work-related injuries and illness. We have extensive specialized experience in helping employers provide a safer work environment to prevent common workplace injuries. This article covers the most common workplace injuries we see and how we work with our patients and their employers to treat them successfully and get employees back to work faster.

The 5 most common workplace injuries are sprains and strains, falls, struck-by injuries, skin wounds, and blood borne pathogen exposures (needlestick or splash exposures). Early return-to-work planning, duty modification, ergonomic changes, and safety training are essential to prevent recurrence and support recovery.

Sprains and strains are the most frequent workplace injuries, often from overexertion, repetitive motion, or awkward postures. They commonly affect the back, neck, shoulders, knees, and wrists.

How to Treat Repetitive Motion Injuries:

• Rest, ice, compression, elevation (RICE): The first step towards reducing swelling and pain.
• Pain management: Over-the-counter pain relievers, topical pain relief creams, ice/heat, supportive braces and compression.
• Physical therapy: Physical Therapy at MBI is initially focused on relieving pain and swelling, followed by restoring full motion, and eventually restoring full strength and function of the injured body part.
• Ergonomic adjustments: Modify tasks, tools, and workstations to prevent recurrence.

Falls are a leading cause of severe injury and death at work, especially in construction, healthcare, and manufacturing. They cause fractures, head injuries, and soft-tissue damage.

Typical Treatment Plan for a Fall:

• Immediate assessment: Early evaluation and follow up is critical to evaluate for fractures, head injury, and spinal injury.
• Immobilization: Severe injuries including ligament and bony injury may require immobilization to allow for healing. Length of immobilization is limited to the shortest period possible to prevent stiffness and weakness of the injury site.
• Pain management: Prescription strength pain relievers in the early phase of injury.
• Physical therapy: Similar to strains, early focus on pain and swelling relief followed by mobility and functional restoration. Typically, a longer course of PT is required to treat more severe injuries.
• Prevention: Use fall protection, housekeeping, and developing and adhering to workplace safety training programs.

Struck-by injuries occur when workers are hit by falling or moving objects or equipment, causing contusions, fractures, and head injuries.

Typical Treatment Plan:

• Course of treatment is similar to Fall injuries. Early evaluation with frequent follow up, short course of immobilization and prescription pain relievers, early intervention physical therapy to reduce pain and restore function are all typical.
• Prevention: Use PPE (eye protection, hard hats, steel toed shoes, etc.), secure loads, workplace training on hazard recognition, and utilizing safety check lists can all reduce Struck-by injuries.

Cuts and lacerations are common from sharp tools, machinery, or materials and can cause significant bleeding, infection, and nerve or tendon injury. Burns result from contact with heat, chemicals, or electricity and can cause severe tissue damage, infection, and scarring.

Treating Cuts, Lacerations, and Burns:

• Immediate care: Control bleeding and clean the wound. Cool and clean burns.
• Wound exploration: Examination to determine if deeper structures such as tendon, nerves, or vessels have been injured. An X-ray is often required to ensure no foreign body is present in the wound.
• Wound closure: Minor wounds can be closed with adhesive strips or surgical glue. Deeper wounds require stapes or sutures (stitches) depending on location and depth.
• Tetanus prophylaxis: A provider will check your vaccination record and update if needed.
• Antibiotics: For contaminated or high-risk wounds.
• Prevention: Examining workplace procedure to evaluate if safety protocols need to be updated via cut-resistant gloves, proper tools, and training, to use three examples.

Exposure to human blood through skin punctures or splash to eyes and mouth can result in transmission of Hepatitis B and C and HIV.

What to Do in the Event of Blood-Borne Pathogen Exposure:

• Immediate care: wash punctures and cuts with soap and water, flush splashes to mouths/eyes with tap water.
• Seek medical counseling as soon as possible after exposure. A risk assessment based on exposure type, source risk, and your vaccination status will determine if post-exposure prophylaxis (treatment with medications to prevent infection transmission) is required.
• PEP: post exposure prophylaxis for Hepatitis B and HIV must be started within 72 hours if indicated based on risk assessment.
• Lab surveillance: baseline testing and serial repeat testing for up to 4-6 months for Hepatitis and HIV to monitor for seroconversion (testing positive for disease).
• Prevention: use standard precautions, wear PPE, and complete Hepatitis B vaccine series.

Across injuries, early return-to-work planning with modified duties and ergonomic changes supports recovery and prevents recurrence. Regular follow-up, early rehab intervention to restore motion and strength, and clear communication about recovery and return-to-work timelines improve outcomes for all workers.

To learn more about how MBI can help your employees in their recovery and return-to-work goals, contact us today.