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Office injuries are almost twice as likely to happen on a Wednesday as on any other day of the week, according to our latest Physio Med research.
We surveyed 1,000 employees across the UK who had been injured at work in the last 12 months and found that almost a third (29.6%) of accidents resulting in sickness absence happen on a Wednesday, with Friday being the ‘safest’ day of the week.
The research revealed the catastrophic results office-based accidents and injuries can have on both employees and workplace productivity, with 31% of those injured at work requiring time off. Of those surveyed, a quarter of respondents said their injury had required more than a week off, with a worrying further 16% injured so badly they remained absent for a month or longer.
Overall, more than a third (33.9%) of injuries at work are caused by trips or slips, 26.5% by handling, lifting or carrying and a further 21.9 are due to repetitive strain injury. Almost half of those injured (43.8%) suffered a serious musculoskeletal injury affecting their neck, back or shoulder. In addition, the findings show that men are most likely to take time off after an injury or accident, with 86% of men taking two or more days off work after an accident, in comparison to 67% of women.
Worryingly, almost half (49.9%) of those who had been injured in the last year said they received no first aid or help with access to rehabilitation from their employer at the time of the accident and a further 20% claimed they had never received training or advice from their employer on health and safety, ergonomics or stress management.
Key findings
- Wednesday is the day we are at our most accident prone, with 29.3 per cent of workplace accidents occurring
- A massive 73% of those injured in Northern Ireland received no first aid or help with rehabilitation from their employer
- 31% of workers in Wales have never received any advice from their employer on health and safety
- Administration and Customer Services are the most ‘dangerous’ departments to work in, accounting for 28.7% and 18.7% of accidents respectively
Mark Fletcher, Clinical Director at Physio Med, said: “Sickness absence costs employers and the economy billions of pounds each year, so we were shocked to realise that some employers still are not doing the basics with regards to protecting themselves and employees. Providing basic health and safety training is the first step to preventing workplace accidents, but many people dismiss it as red tape or needless administration. What our survey shows is that people don’t have to be working in an industrial or physical environment to be injured – all of those we questioned were injured in an office environment. Simple preventative measures can help avoid long term pain for both the employee and the employer.”
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