The total number of compensable work injuries in the U.S. food manufacturing sector declined after the pandemic, with a 13% drop in workers’ compensation claims from pre-COVID-19 levels, according to a report released Wednesday by AmTrust Financial Services Inc.
The specialist insurer examined 15,000 food manufacturing claims between 2018 and 2022 and found that general occupational injuries decreased in 2020, 2021 and 2022, when the global pandemic was at its peak.
In general, workplace injuries in the food industry were down after the pandemic compared to 2019, even as the sector dealt with labor shortages, supply chain issues and inflationary costs, according to AmTrust.
The report, released to coincide with June̵
7;s National Safety Month, shows that the most common type of workplace injury in food manufacturing is strains, which are also the most expensive worker injuries to treat.The insurer’s analysis shows that the five most expensive types of injuries – sprains, sprains, fractures, contusions and lacerations – account for nearly half of all workers’ compensation claims in the food industry.
The report further states that injuries to multiple body parts continue to result in the largest proportion of compensation claims paid and that low back injuries are the second most expensive work injury to treat.
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