Health Issues in Business
Health issues in business are as critical today as they were in the mid-twentieth century. Many of the injuries and illnesses have changed but their impact is no less dramatic. The increased use of computers and job specialization have contributed to a new generation of occupational hazards, especially repetitive motion injuries, also known as cumulative trauma disorders. These are injuries caused by repetitive hand, arm, or finger motions that cause tendons to swell and become progressively more painful. In advanced cases, workers lose the strength in their thumb and fingers and eventually become unable to complete simple tasks, such as lifting a baby or tying their shoes. Cumulative trauma disorders were the most common type of illness reported in 1997, accounting for 64 percent of the 430,000 cases of illness reported (Herington and Morse, 1995).
Every five seconds a worker is injured on the job, and every ten seconds a worker is temporarily or permanently disabled. The estimated cost for injuries alone is $121 billion annually (Herington and Morse, 1995). This cost includes lost productivity and wages, administrative expenses, and health care. In reality, these costs may be much higher. It is virtually impossible to pinpoint exact costs due to the lack of accurate statistics on workplace injury and illness.
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