2. Slips, Trips, and Falls
These injuries include:
- Saving oneself from a fall
- Falling on the same level
- Falling to a lower level
Slips, trips, and falls accounted for 244,000 workplace injuries in 2019. People over 55 years old who work in transport, warehousing, or agriculture are most at risk.

3. Contact with Equipment and Objects
These injuries include:
- Being struck by a moving object
- Being squeezed, pinched, or compressed
- Being struck or caught by a collapsing structure
Contact with equipment or objects accounted for 229,410 workplace injuries in 2019. People aged 16 to 24 who work in construction, warehousing, and transportation are most at risk.

Occupational Diseases
Skin Diseases
Skin diseases, like allergic and irritant dermatitis, are thought to account for between 15 and 20 percent of all occupational diseases in the U.S. Moreover, they are the second most common type of work-related illness. Skin diseases can be caused by exposure to cleaning products, printer ink, latex, solvents, and dyes.
NIOSH reports that people working in healthcare, agriculture, food service, construction, and cosmetology are most at risk of developing a work-related skin disease. However, there are incidences in practically every industry due to the widespread use of chemicals and irritants.

Asthma and COPD
Approximately 30 percent of all cases of asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are thought to be the result of workplace exposure. One alarming survey found that over 20 million Americans are routinely exposed to chemicals and substances that can cause these diseases while at work.
Work-related asthma cases are on the rise due to the use of protective latex gloves. Latex allergies are especially common among healthcare workers, as repeat exposure increases the chances of an allergy developing. Roughly 2.5 percent of workers with latex allergies go onto develop what is known as latex-related asthma.
Most work-related COPD occurs due to exposure to dust from coal, grain, or cotton. One occupational study identified that people working in healthcare, electronics, animal handling, photography, mining, agriculture, and machine operation are most at risk of developing respiratory diseases.