5 Common Injuries That Put Factory Workers at Risk

Employees at manufacturing facilities work hard, and workplace injuries can put their life and livelihood at risk.

What injuries put workers in factories and on assembly lines at risk?

Chemical exposure

Depending on the products that a facility produces and their position, employees may work with solvents, battery acid, cleaning solutions and other chemicals every day. Employees may breathe in or ingest these chemicals, causing respiratory conditions or poisoning. Exposure to harmful substances may also result in eye injuries, chemical burns or burns resulting from flammable chemicals catching fire.

Strain from heavy lifting

Whether placing completed products on a palette, moving items through a warehouse or lifting heavy equipment, the daily life of factory workers often requires significant heavy lifting. Muscle strain, sprains and repetitive strain can all impact workers who engage in heavy lifting.

Forklift accidents

Forklifts are often used in factory settings to ease the burden of heavy loads on employees, but this heavy machinery comes with its own risks. The CDC notes that falls from forklifts, overturned forklifts or forklifts crushing employees not operating the machine can all cause serious workplace injuries.

Falls

Cluttered hallways, machinery power cords, wet floors and uneven floors can all cause workers to slip or trip in a manufacturing facility. Workers who rely on lifts or ladders to do their work can suffer even more serious falls when working in an elevated setting.

Repetitive motion injuries

Factory workers often perform repetitive tasks throughout the day, and even in the safest environments, these activities can cause significant strain on workers’ bodies over time. The conditions that result can cause pain, swelling and loss of strength that limits workers’ ability to do their daily tasks.

Factory workers do not have to face these injuries alone. Workers’ compensation benefits may be available to support people who suffer from these and other common workplace injuries.