Accidents in the workplace give rise to a wide spectrum of injuries-from conditions as apparently minor as aching backs to traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. The principal causes of work related injuries include fires and explosions; exposures to toxic chemicals and other environmental hazards; work-related transportation accidents; slips and falls; electrocutions; machinery-related accidents; traumas from contact with heavy objects; and even on-the-job assaults by co-workers and third parties.

Workplace injuries are not limited to factories and construction sites. Even office employees are subject to a wide variety of serious work-related injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive stress injuries, sick building syndrome, asbestosis, mold and lead poisoning, slips and falls, and even occupational stress.