The total number of compensable work injuries in the U.S. food manufacturing sector decreased post-pandemic, with a 13% decline in workers compensation claims from pre-COVID-19 levels, according to a report released Wednesday by AmTrust Financial Services Inc.
The specialty insurer examined 15,000 comp claims in food manufacturing between 2018 and 2022, finding that general workplace injuries were down in 2020, 2021 and 2022, at the height of the global pandemic.
In general, workplace injuries in the food industry were down post-pandemic compared with 2019, even as the sector dealt with labor shortages, supply chain issues and inflationary costs, according to AmTrust.
The report, released to coincide with June’s National Safety Month, shows that the most common type of workplace injuries in food manufacturing are strains, which are also the most expensive worker injuries to treat.
The insurer’s analysis shows that the five most expensive types of injuries – strains, sprains, fractures, contusions and lacerations – account for nearly half of all workers comp claims filed in the food manufacturing sector.
The report further states that injuries to multiple body parts continue to result in the largest percentage of paid comp claims and that lower-back injuries are the second-most expensive work injury to treat.
This article was first published in Business Insurance.
