Workplace injuries happen every day across Florida.
Construction sites, warehouses, hospitals, manufacturing facilities, and offices all present hazards that can hurt workers.
While workplace safety has improved over the years, the statistics show that too many employers still don’t take adequate precautions to prevent accidents. Understanding workplace safety facts and your rights when you’re injured helps protect you and your family.
At Adam Baron Law, we represent injured workers throughout Florida who’ve been hurt on the job. We know the physical, emotional, and financial toll these injuries take on workers and their families. Our goal is to help you understand workplace safety issues and ensure you get the workers’ compensation benefits you deserve when accidents do happen.
In this article, we talk about the current state of the workplace, summarizing information from various sources, including a recent report from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): Workplace Injury Statistics You Should Know in 2026
The Current State of Workplace Safety
Recent workplace safety statistics paint a sobering picture of the risks Florida workers face every day.
Nationally, work injuries cost around $167 billion (based on the most recent figures in 2021). This staggering figure includes $47.4 billion in lost wages and productivity, $36.6 billion in medical expenses, and $57.5 billion in administrative costs. These aren’t just numbers. They represent real people who got hurt, families struggling with medical bills, and workers unable to earn their regular paychecks.
Construction workers face particularly high risks, with the construction industry accounting for 20% of all workplace fatalities in the United States. In 2023, there were 1,029 construction worker deaths nationwide. Both Florida’s population growth and its expanding construction industry contribute significantly to these tragic statistics.
Transportation and warehousing workers also face serious dangers, with 839 fatalities in 2023. Professional and business services saw 555 deaths, while agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting resulted in 430 worker fatalities. Manufacturing claimed 351 lives that same year.
What Workers Say About Feeling Safe
Recent surveys (from OSHA) of more than 500 workers across different industries reveal troubling gaps in workplace safety culture. It’s reported that only 22% of employees report feeling “very safe” at their workplaces. Think about that. More than three-quarters of workers don’t feel completely safe while doing their jobs.
Even more concerning, 1 in 10 workers actively feels unsafe at work. These workers go to their jobs every day knowing they’re at significant risk of injury. That’s unacceptable, yet it’s the reality many Florida workers (and workers nationally) face while on the job.
Communication between workers and management about safety concerns is often inadequate. Only 26% of workers say their safety concerns are always taken seriously by management. That means nearly three-quarters of workers feel their safety concerns are sometimes or frequently ignored. Even worse, 9% of workers report that their supervisors completely ignore their safety concerns.
The Most Common OSHA Violations in Florida Workplaces
OSHA sets and enforces workplace safety standards. Examining OSHA’s most frequently cited violations shows where Florida employers may most often fall short on safety. In fiscal year 2024, the top violations were:
Fall Protection led all violations with 7,036 citations nationwide. Falls remain the leading cause of construction worker deaths. Despite clear regulations requiring fall protection systems, many employers fail to provide adequate guardrails, safety nets, or personal fall arrest systems.
Hazard Communication violations totaled 3,277 citations. Employers must inform workers about hazardous chemicals they might encounter and provide proper training on safe handling. Failure to maintain safety data sheets or properly label containers puts workers at risk of chemical exposure.
Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) accounted for 2,967 citations. These procedures prevent machinery from accidentally starting during maintenance or repair. When employers don’t properly lock out energy sources, workers can be caught in equipment, crushed, electrocuted, or otherwise seriously injured.
Ladder safety violations reached 2,897 citations. Improper ladder use causes countless falls and injuries. Employers must provide appropriate ladders and train workers on safe usage.
Respiratory Protection violations totaled 2,835 citations. Workers exposed to dust, fumes, or other airborne hazards need proper respiratory protection and fit testing.
Other frequent violations include powered industrial trucks (forklifts), scaffolding safety, eye and face protection, and machine guarding. Each of these violations represents real hazards that injure Florida workers every day.
OSHA’s Enforcement Powers
OSHA backs up its safety standards with substantial fines designed to motivate employer compliance. Understanding these penalties shows how seriously safety violations should be taken:
- General violations: up to $7,000 per violation
- Serious violations: up to $25,000 per violation
- Willful or repeat violations: up to $70,000 per violation
- Failure to abate violations: up to $15,000 per day
- Failure to report: minimum $5,000 per violation
Despite these penalties, OSHA faces significant challenges in enforcement. The agency has only 1,850 inspectors to oversee 8 million workplaces nationwide. In 2025, OSHA conducted 34,625 inspections. That means the vast majority of workplaces go years without any inspection. Many employers gamble that they won’t get caught violating safety rules.
Understanding Workplace Injuries and Illnesses
OSHA categorizes workplace incidents into two main groups: injuries and illnesses. This distinction matters for reporting and workers’ compensation purposes.
Injuries include immediate harm from workplace incidents: cuts, fractures, sprains, amputations, and similar trauma. These happen suddenly from a specific event like a fall, being struck by an object, or getting caught in machinery.
Illnesses develop over time from workplace exposures: skin diseases, respiratory conditions, poisoning, hearing loss, and mental health disorders like depression and anxiety. These conditions may not appear immediately but result from ongoing workplace hazards.
Both categories may qualify for workers’ compensation benefits in Florida, depending on the circumstances of the injury. Whether you suffered a sudden traumatic injury or developed an occupational illness over time, you most likely deserve compensation for your work-related health problems.
The Leading Causes of Workplace Injuries
Research shows that 80-90% of serious workplace injuries result from human error. This doesn’t mean workers are to blame. Often, “human error” actually reflects inadequate training, insufficient staffing, unrealistic production demands, or fatigue from excessive hours. Employers create conditions where mistakes become inevitable, then blame workers when accidents happen.
The most common cause of workplace injuries is slips, trips, and falls. These accidents happen in every industry and can result from wet floors, cluttered walkways, poor lighting, uneven surfaces, or inadequate footwear. While they might sound minor, slips and falls cause serious injuries including broken bones, head trauma, and back injuries.
Studies indicate that over 99% of workplace accidents are preventable. Think about what that means. Nearly every worker who gets hurt on the job could have been protected if proper safety measures were in place. This makes workplace injuries even more tragic because they didn’t have to happen.
Common Myths About Workplace Safety
Several dangerous myths persist about workplace safety that put Florida workers at risk:
Myth: If you’ve done the job for years, you don’t need safety precautions
Reality: Experience creates overconfidence and complacency. Veteran workers sometimes take shortcuts or ignore safety rules because they’ve “always done it this way” without getting hurt. Then one day their luck runs out. Experience doesn’t make you immune to gravity, sharp objects, or heavy equipment.
Myth: OSHA only targets large companies
Reality: OSHA conducts surprise inspections at businesses of all sizes. Small companies face the same safety requirements and potential penalties as large corporations. No employer is too small to be held accountable for safety violations.
Myth: If OSHA comes to inspect, employees should stop working
Reality: Workers should continue normal operations during OSHA inspections. Stopping work or changing procedures creates a false impression and may actually constitute interference with the inspection.
Myth: Safety is the supervisor’s responsibility
Reality: Safety is everyone’s responsibility. While supervisors and employers have greater obligations, every worker plays a role in maintaining a safe workplace. A single careless act can injure the entire team.
Myth: OSHA standards are just guidelines
Reality: OSHA standards are enforceable laws. Violations lead to citations, fines, and in cases of willful violations causing death, criminal prosecution. These aren’t suggestions that employers can choose to follow or ignore.
Your Rights When You’re Injured at Work in Florida
If you’re hurt on the job in Florida, you have rights under the state’s workers’ compensation system. These benefits exist to help you recover and support your family while you’re unable to work.
Workers’ compensation should cover all necessary medical treatment related to your injury. This includes emergency care, doctor visits, surgery, physical therapy, prescription medications, and any other care your doctor recommends. You shouldn’t pay anything out of pocket for work-related medical treatment.
You’re also entitled to wage replacement benefits if your injury prevents you from working. Florida workers’ compensation typically pays about two-thirds of your average weekly wages while you’re totally unable to work. If you can return to work but earn less due to injury-related restrictions, you may receive partial wage replacement.
For serious injuries that result in permanent limitations, you may be entitled to permanent disability benefits. The amount depends on which body parts were injured and the severity of your permanent impairment.
The workers’ compensation system is supposed to be straightforward, but insurance companies often make it difficult. They deny legitimate claims, delay paying benefits, cut off medical treatment prematurely, or pressure injured workers to return to work before they’re ready.
How Adam Baron Law Helps Injured Florida Workers
This is where experienced legal representation makes all the difference. At Adam Baron Law, we’ve dedicated our practice to helping injured workers throughout Florida get the benefits they deserve.
Our team handles all aspects of your workers’ compensation case. We make sure your injury is properly reported, help you get the medical treatment you need, deal with insurance company adjusters and their attorneys, and fight for full benefits if your claim is denied or disputed.
We know the tactics insurance companies use to avoid paying fair compensation. We’ve seen them blame pre-existing conditions, claim injuries aren’t work-related, send injured workers to biased doctors, and use surveillance hoping to catch workers doing something they can claim shows exaggerated injuries. We know how to counter these tactics and protect your rights.
If your workers’ compensation claim is denied, we appeal the decision and represent you at hearings before judges. We gather medical evidence, obtain expert opinions, interview witnesses, and present compelling legal arguments that establish your right to benefits.
We also understand that some workplace injuries result from employer negligence or defective equipment. In these cases, you might have additional legal claims beyond workers’ compensation. We evaluate every case thoroughly to ensure you receive all the compensation available under Florida law.
Taking Workplace Safety Seriously
The statistics are clear: Florida workers face serious safety risks every day. Too many employers cut corners on safety to save money or speed up production. The result is preventable injuries that devastate workers and their families.
If you’ve been injured at work, don’t try to navigate the workers’ compensation system alone. Insurance companies have experienced adjusters and attorneys working to minimize what they pay you. You deserve someone just as experienced in fighting for your rights.
At Adam Baron Law, we offer free consultations to discuss your workplace injury. We’ll review what happened, explain your rights, and help you understand your options. We don’t get paid unless we recover benefits for you, so there’s no financial risk in calling us.
Florida workers deserve safe workplaces and fair treatment when they’re injured on the job. Contact Adam Baron Law today to learn how we can help you get the workers’ compensation benefits you need and deserve. Your recovery and your family’s financial security are too important to leave to chance.