Dont Get Caught in the Crush Stats and Facts

FACTS

Crush injuries are not only confined to construction sites. Any job that involves heavy machinery, large objects, unstable structures, faulty equipment, or forklifts can potentially result in crush injuries for workers.

1. There are numerous causes of crush injuries in the workplace

• Being hit by a falling object, such as a large piece of equipment falling off scaffolding.
• Being pinned or struck between two objects, such as a piece of metal and a building or two motor vehicles.
• Being run over by machinery or equipment.
• The collapse of structures, such a building on construction sites.
• Limbs caught in machinery or equipment.
• Equipment or machinery tipping over, catching the employee.
• Defects in machinery or equipment.

2. Crush injuries can occur in any industry, but most commonly happen in the manufacturing, production, and construction fields.
3. Crush injuries are among the most serious injuries experienced by workers.

STATS

• Each year, over 125,000 workers suffer crush injuries that occur when the body is caught or stuck between two objects or entangled with machinery. These hazards are “pinch points.” The physical force exerted upon the body caught in a pinch point can vary, causing injuries that range from mild bruising and scraping to amputated body parts, mangling, and even death.
• Around 7 out of 10 caught-in/between fatalities involved workers being crushed in collapsing materials.
• Nearly half of all work-related injuries involving mechanical power presses result in amputation, statistics compiled by OSHA show. Around 60% of amputations involve a worker’s fingers or arm getting caught or compressed by a press or other machinery such as a conveyer, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.