FACTS
- Overexertion Injuries: Professional movers are expected to lift heavy objects many times per work shift. This can easily lead to overexertion and repetitive injuries because certain parts of the body will become overworked and worn down. Some injuries that appear from overexertion include carpal tunnel, stress fractures, and disc degeneration.
- Cuts and Scrapes: Moving large, heavy mirrors, glassware, or kitchen boxes that are not packed safely can easily lead to cuts and scrapes. If any of these items falls, breaks, or pokes through a box, a mover can easily be injured and have to seek emergency treatment for a significant cut.
- Broken Bones: Broken bones are not uncommon injuries when working as a professional mover. Broken bones can be extremely painful and require emergency medical attention. Sometimes a broken bone will require surgery to fix.
- Back Injuries: Straining the back, also known as “throwing your back out,” can leave a worker with severe, debilitating back pain. More severe back injuries – including herniated discs and torn muscles – can also occur after lifting a heavy item.
- Slips, Trips, and Falls: If the weight of an object is not balanced correctly or the object is an unusual shape and a worker cannot grip the item safely, they may slip and fall while holding it. Slipping, tripping, and falling can cause severe knee and elbow injuries from twisting the body in an unnatural way, as well as possibly breaking bones when trying to brace for impact during a fall. Slipping and rolling an ankle can cause a sprain or strain that can disable a worker for days if not weeks
STATS
- Commercial movers suffered the largest number of occupational injuries and illnesses in Texas.
- Overexertion was the leading cause of injury and illness, affecting 27% of commercial movers, followed by contact with objects and moving equipment, 24 %. Sprains and strains were the leading injury or illness, representing 47 % of all cases. The back was the most affected part of the body, with 23 %.
- Commercial movers experienced 184,470 injuries and illnesses in 2018 that resulted in days away from work. That was 20 % of all the cases that resulted in days away from work. The incidence rate for transportation and material moving workers was 193.7 cases per 10,000 full-time workers. These workers took a median of 13 days away from work to recuperate from their injuries and illnesses.
- Lifting heavy items, such as furniture, bulky household items and large appliances is a primary cause of accidental injury. A study conducted by Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that more than one-third of heavy lifting injuries resulted in, at best, missed workdays. At worst, overexertion can lead to a fatal heart attack or possible life-threatening stroke. Slip-and-fall accidents, which can happen anytime, also have the potential for fatal consequences.