Contractors’ first-year employees pose greatest injury risk – report

Contractors’ first-year employees pose the greatest risk of injury on the job, accounting for a third of claims paid out, according to a new report by Amtrust Financial Services.

The AmTrust 2021 Contractor Risk Report, released Wednesday, identified common injuries and the resulting time off in the contractor segment. The report was based on an analysis of 26,000 workers’ compensation claims over 10 years.

AmTrust found that companies in business less than four years accounted for 75% of claims paid out. It also found that new employees pose the greatest injury risk and that workers’ compensation claims peak during the summer.

“The most valuable asset of any company is its employees, and with the current labor shortage, employers need to be armed with recent data to improve workplace safety and help reduce injuries,” said Matt Zender, senior vice president for workers’ compensation strategy at AmTrust. “Our new risk report for contractors brings awareness to common injuries, allowing small businesses to better mitigate losses and help keep their workforce healthy and productive.”

States with warmer climates historically account for the most losses, partly because contractors in those states have a year-round season for outdoor work, AmTrust said. Environmental issues such as heat and smog also increase workers’ compensation claims in warmer months. For example:

• Arizona claims frequencies are 42% above the US average
• Florida claims frequencies are 34% above US average
• California claims frequencies are 7% above US average

Read next: Early intervention is key to cutting opioid use in workers’ comp

Other key findings include:

• Plumbers accounted for 28% of all claims, while electricians accounted for 19%
• Lost days due to fall or slip injuries are 67% higher than the median for all injuries
• While lifting strains are the most common injury with 11 days out, burns resulted in the second-highest median days out (19 days).