Analysis of 1.2 million workers compensation claims reveals the costliest claims are driven by the most common workplace accidents; also shows first-year employees still among those most vulnerable to injury

The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV), the largest workers compensation insurer in the United States, today released its 2024 Injury Impact Report, which examined more than 1.2 million workers compensation claims from 2017 to 2021. The findings revealed that the most common workplace accidents make up the majority of claim costs.

Most frequent causes of injury:

  • Overexertion (29% of claims analyzed).
  • Slips, trips and falls (23%).
  • Being struck by an object (12%).
  • Motor vehicle accidents (5%).
  • Caught-in or caught-between hazards (5%).

Top five drivers of severe claims ($250,000 or more), beginning with the costliest:

  • Slips, trips and falls.
  • Overexertion.
  • Being struck by an object.
  • Motor vehicle accidents.
  • Caught-in or caught-between hazards.

“Factors such as inexperience, workforce shortages and maintenance issues are all contributing to these unfortunate and often avoidable accidents,” said Rich Ives, Senior Vice President of Business Insurance Claim at Travelers. “While the number of injuries overall has been trending downward in recent years, our analysis shows that there’s never been a better time for businesses to invest in workplace safety and injury prevention.”

New Employees Are Most Vulnerable

Similar to previous years, the 2024 report found that employees in their first year on the job continue to be the most vulnerable to workplace injuries, accounting for 35% of all workers compensation claims. This year’s analysis also uncovered increases in missed workdays due to injuries:

  • On average, injured employees missed 72 workdays, up one day from last year’s report.
  • The construction industry continued to have the highest average number of lost workdays per injury (103 workdays, up from 99), followed by transportation (83 workdays, up from 77).
  • Injured small-business employees missed an average of 82 workdays, up from 79.

“There are tangible consequences to any injury, and many include long-term, sometimes permanent, effects,” said Chris Hayes, Assistant Vice President of Workers Compensation and Transportation, Risk Control, at Travelers. “By understanding where the risks were in the past, businesses can better identify what to look for and tailor their risk management and employee safety strategies accordingly to help prevent injuries from happening.”

Additional findings from the 2024 Injury Impact Report can be found at Travelers.com/InjuryImpactReport. For best practices on creating safer workspaces, visit the Workplace Safety Resources page on the company’s website.

About the 2024 Injury Impact Report Travelers analyzed more than 1.2 million workers compensation claims that it received between 2017 and 2021 from a variety of industries and business sizes. Findings were based solely on indemnity claims, where the injured employees could not immediately return to work and incurred medical costs.

About Travelers The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRV) is a leading provider of property casualty insurance for auto, home and business. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Travelers has more than 30,000 employees and generated revenues of approximately $41 billion in 2023. For more information, visit Travelers.com.

Media: Kate Thermansen, 860-954-1789 ktherman@travelers.com

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