Based on an extensive review of nearly 130,000 AmTrust workers’ compensation claims from 2018 to 2023, the analysis highlights back injuries – categorized into disc, vertebrae, and spinal cord injuries – as the priciest incidents for employers to cover.
Matt Zender, AmTrust’s senior vice president for workers’ compensation product management, noted: “When looking at the top 10 most common injuries over the past six years, we saw that, fortunately, these injuries amounted to less than 1% of all the claims we examined.
“But they are by far the costliest to treat. While not common, disc, vertebrae, and spinal cord injuries are the most expensive, with the typical paid-out claim for a worker averaging between $60,000 to $85,000.”
The report attributes the recent rise in back injuries to the unique demands of restaurant work, which often involves heavy lifting, repetitive motions, and bending.
“Overall, back injuries have been higher than average in the last few years, which may indicate that restaurant workers are a part of our ‘delivery economy’ when it comes to lifting, straining, and repetitive motions,” Zender elaborated.
Key findings from the report offer additional insights into injury trends across restaurant environments:
“In restaurant work, musculoskeletal disorders – whether that’s a bad back or sore ‘barista wrist’ – are clearly the most expensive injuries to treat,” Zender pointed out.
“We encourage restaurant owners to train employees in best practices for lifting and setting down objects and other tasks that can stress muscles and the spine. Good ergonomic practices in restaurants go a long way toward preventing injuries and controlling costs.”
The 2024 AmTrust Restaurant Risk Report provides safety recommendations to help restaurant owners protect their workforce. These best practices focus on injury prevention strategies, aiming to keep employees safe and control premium costs.
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