Lacerations: The Most Common Workplace Injury

Knives are extremely common in many types of workplaces across many industries. For some companies, knives are so essential to daily operations that thousands are stored on the premises at any given time. 

The proper knife can be a game-changer for efficiency and productivity. But when it’s used improperly or by a tired or unfocused employee, it becomes a hazard. In fact, knives pose the most danger in the workplace, accounting for 30 percent of all workplace injuries. Of those, about 70 percent are a hand laceration. 

Needless to say, there is ample opportunity for such injury to occur when employees handle knives. Indeed, lacerations are one of the most common and costly types of workplace injuries across all types of companies.

That’s why at MARTOR, we’re dedicated to helping companies make their employees safe through knife training and education.

2021 laceration statistics

The facts surrounding workplace injuries that involve cuts or lacerations are harrowing:

    • The National Safety Council (NSC) reports that over 120,000 hand injuries occurred in 2019

    • 83% of those hand injuries were caused by lacerations, cuts, and punctures

    • 27% of machinery injuries are lacerations

    • 56% of injuries caused by hand tools are lacerations 

    • Lacerations are high up on a company’s list of recordables, usually in the top three or five items

    • Lacerations cause an average of five lost working days for the injured worker

There’s no doubt that workplace-related injuries, illnesses, and death impose costs upon companies, but how much? The numbers are higher than you think. According to the NSC and Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), each hand injury can cost anywhere from $540 to $26,000.

 

The cost of cuts and lacerations in the workplace in 2021

According to OSHA’s $afety Pays Program calculator, most companies should expect to pay more than $45,000 per laceration in direct and indirect costs.

Overall, each individual company will be uniquely affected by a workplace laceration injury. The amount of money lost from the bottom line depends on a variety of company- and injury-specific factors.

While direct costs such as the estimated settlement and hospital bills are easy to calculate, the indirect costs are more ambiguous. 

Direct costs of workplace lacerations

 

Healthcare: According to the NSC, the true costs of mending a workplace laceration can range anywhere from $300-$70,000 or more depending on the type of care needed.

    • The direct cost of a laceration-related hospital stay, before stitches: $10,000+

    • Stitches: $2,000+, plus indirect costs

    • Butterfly stitches: $300+

    • Severed tendon: $70,000+

 

Ambulance bills and EMT treatment: Calling for an ambulance is a financial gamble for all involved. A 2020 study found that 3 in 4 ambulance providers don’t take the patient’s insurance. This can result in rides that cost anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Even with insurance, 79% of patients are left to pay an average of $450.

Workers’ compensation: The average hand injury claim has cost more than $6,000 in recent years. In addition, lost-time workers’ compensation claims for hand injuries have exceeded that, costing an average of $7,500.

 

Indirect costs of workplace lacerations

In addition to direct costs, there are a number of indirect costs to keep in mind, including:

    • Wages paid to injured workers not covered by workers' compensation

    • Wage costs related to time lost and/or work stoppage

    • Administrative time spent by supervisors following accidents

    • Employee retraining

    • Replacement costs

    • Lost productivity related to new employee learning curves or loss of morale after an injury

    • Accommodation of injured employees

 

Preventing cuts and lacerations in the workplace

For company leaders that want to promote the health and safety of their employees, preventing lacerations is crucial. In order to create a safe work environment, familiarize yourself with common causes of lacerations. By addressing each one, risk can be mitigated before disaster strikes. 

 

Understanding why lacerations occur

Before your company can focus on cut prevention in the workplace, it’s crucial to understand why cuts occur so frequently.

There are a number of reasons why lacerations could occur, even in a seemingly safe environment:

    • Inadequate workstation lighting

    • Poorly set up or disorganized workplace

    • Improper use of tools or equipment

    • Incorrect personal protective equipment (PPE)

    • Lack of a comprehensive knife safety program that includes retractable blades

    • Improper maintenance and storage of blades and knives 

    • Distractions

    • Improper training or lack of established safety procedures

    • Employee overexertion, fatigue, or rushing

    • Contact with metal items like nails or burrs

    • Using hand tools with blades (knives, box cutters, screwdrivers, chisels)

 

How to prevent lacerations

The best way to prevent workplace cuts and lacerations is to invest in the proper safety measures. This includes the safety equipment, researching and developing a safety program, and developing and/or running training presentations.

While investing in good safety equipment and programs poses a high up-front cost, it could save a company thousands of dollars. 

 

Choosing the right workplace safety equipment

Many company leaders prioritize safety equipment like gloves over safety knives. But while gloves and other equipment are certainly a valuable safety practice, they do not completely eliminate injury. That’s because a glove covers only a small percentage of the body. 

There are other pieces of equipment that are designed to complement these efforts. This includes safety knives, which are specifically designed to offer extreme protection.

Overall, we recommend using safety knives and gloves in tandem to best protect employees. Employees should be cutting with fully automatic retractable knives and concealed blade knives. If an employee’s hand slips while using the safety blade, it will retract, mitigating the risk of laceration. 

Using a retractable blade is the only way to completely prevent lacerations. An investment in this type of knife safety is an investment in productivity.

 

Promoting knife safety in the workplace

You know just how costly a workplace laceration can be for employers. To avoid this, take steps to proactively ensure the health and safety of employees by addressing and improving the risk factors. 

Given the costs of a workplace injury or laceration, it’s worth it to reconsider your safety protocols.

 

Choosing the proper knife

Not only should your knives be carefully chosen and evaluated, but so should the company you buy them from. Before making a purchase, consider what kind of program and training the knife company offers. 

The company selling you knives to be as invested in your employees’ safety as you are. Keep an eye out for comprehensive training sessions, superior customer service, and a vast catalog of safety knives. 

 

Implementing a knife safety program

Implementing a knife safety program is the most valuable and effective means of laceration prevention. In addition to outfitting employees with the proper safety equipment like gloves, you should supply retractable safety knives. Aside from safety equipment, a safety knife is one of the only surefire ways to completely eliminate the risk of lacerations.

Martor USA has been supplying knife safety programs to companies for almost four decades. Take a look at our inventory and find out how our knives will enhance the safety of your employees here.