Westchester County, New York

Almost a million New Yorkers live and work in one of the 45 cities of Westchester County. This massive county is bigger than some small countries, spanning 450 square miles just north of NYC. A picturesque location, Westchester county sits between the banks of the Hudson and the Sound.

Most Westchester county residents work in one of New York’s biggest industries:

• Financial services
• Healthcare
• Professional and technical services
• Retail trade
• Manufacturing

Within these industries, you’ll find New York’s so-called “supersectors,” which are the two job sectors that account for more than 43% of New York state employment. What are they? The trade, transportation, and utility sector and the educational and health services sector.

Together, these supersectors contributed more than 55% of the state’s worker injuries in 2018. Here are some more workplace injury and fatality stats you need to know about Westchester County, New York.

Workplace Injury Stats for Westchester County

• Of the ten largest metropolitan areas in the US, Westchester County and surrounding areas made up for the largest portion of workplace injuries in 2016
• In 2016, the highest number of Westchester County fatal accidents occurred to workers in transportation occupations
• Violence, falls, contact with objects or equipment, and exposure to harmful substances closely followed for the highest number of fatal accidents in Westchester and surrounding areas
• In 2016, the majority of Westchester county workplace injuries happened to white male wage and salaried workers aged 45 to 54 years
• The construction industry in Westchester County and surrounding areas had the largest number of workplace fatalities in 2016 with 66 deaths
• Construction industry deaths in Westchester are on the rise with the majority of fatalities happening to construction workers (45 of the 66 total fatalities in 2016)
• The trade, transportation, and utilities industry in Westchester had the second highest workplace fatalities with 57 deaths
• Within this industry, 43 of the total 57 fatalities in 2016 happened to material moving workers
• Installation, maintenance, and repair came in as the third most fatal occupation in 2016 with 26 total deaths
• in 2018, 96.4% of New York state workers’ comp cases were over injuries rather than illnesses
• In Westchester County, injuries accounted for over 23% of total ER visits from 2008 to 2010

The Most Common Types of Workplace Injuries and Fatalities in Westchester County

Westchester County and surrounding areas accounted for 222 of the 5,190 total national workplace fatalities in 2016 or approximately 4%. Meanwhile, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that more than 140,000 workers were non-fatally injured in a New York workplace in 2018.

The majority of workplace injuries and deaths are caused by one of five accident categories. These are slips, trips, and falls, transportation accidents, violence, contact with objects or equipment, and a catch-all category for other causes of work-related injury or death.

Knowing the types of accidents that cause the most injuries can help you be more vigilant while at work. It can also help you feel less alone during your workers’ comp case. For these reasons, we explore each of the five types of common workplace accidents below.

Slips, Trips, and Falls

Westchester County and surrounding areas had a higher incidence of workplace fatalities due to slips, trips, and falls than the national average in 2016.

Nationally, only 16% of workplace injuries resulting in fatalities happen because of this category. In and around Westchester, that percentage spikes to about 26%.

Transportation Accidents

Unlike slips, trips, and falls, Westchester’s rate of transportation-related accidents was much lower than the national average in 2016.

In the entire country, an average of 40% of workplace fatalities occur due to transportation accidents. Meanwhile, Westchester County and neighboring areas only see 28% of workplace fatalities happening because of this type of accident.

Violence

Violence in the workplace is a pandemic that Westchester County leaders have promised to put a stop to. Still, the New York City area, including Westchester, has a higher rate of violent injury-related workplace deaths than the rest of the US.

17% of national workplace fatalities were due to violence by an animal or another person in 2016. That’s compared to Westchester’s 2016 rate of 19%.

Contact with Objects or Equipment

Westchester County and the rest of the greater New York City area see the same rate of object/equipment-related deaths as the national average. For both, the probability of incurring a workplace injury due to contact with objects or equipment is 15%.

Other

For all other workplace fatalities reported to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Westchester and the US average was equal. Westchester and neighboring cities see a 12% rate of deaths due to workplace injuries, a percentage that was equal to the national average for this catch-all category in 2016.

How a Westchester County, NY Workers' Comp Doctor Can Help When You're Injured at Work

Getting injured at work is devastating. Yet, lucky for you, Westchester County is home to thousands of healthcare professionals who can help you get back on your feet. Plus, these doctors can help make your case in court if your employer refuses to pay.

Here’s how a workers’ comp doctor helps you fight for your workers’ rights.

1. Your Physician Will Diagnose Your Injury or Illness 

As soon as you’re injured at work, you need to see a workers’ comp doctor ASAP. The sooner you see your physician, the better of a chance you’ll have in your workers’ comp case. What’s more, delaying care may mean your symptoms get worse and cause other complications.

During your examination, make sure you’re completely transparent with your doctor. That means disclosing any current or pre-existing conditions and disclosing any medication you might be taking. Leaving out any information could hinder your physician’s ability to treat you.

2. Your Physician Will Provide Proof of Your Diagnosis

When you file a workers’ comp claim, the insurance company will come knocking. They’ll want to see proof of your diagnosis.

That usually means seeing the original doctor’s diagnosis, ordering an independent medical exam (IME), and seeing proof that you continue to see your diagnosing doctor for treatment.

Again, this is why it’s so vital that you be open and honest with your workers’ comp doctor from the get-go. If the insurance company finds any proof of withholding previous diagnoses or fabricating information, it could seriously hurt your case.

3. Your Physician Will Help You Get Back to Work

The first question most workers’ compensation doctors get during an appointment is: “When can I get back to work?” The answer? It varies depending on a number of factors, including the severity of your injury or illness and any new symptoms that may arise during its course.

With that said, it is the workers’ comp doctor’s job to get you treated and back on your feet as soon as possible.

What Type of Workers' Comp Doctors Can Serve You?

With so many different types of workplace-related injuries in Westchester County, you may be wondering: how can you find a doctor that will treat your specific needs? There are all kinds of workers’ comp doctors, each specializing in a certain type of injury or illness.

If you’ve been injured on the job in Westchester County, here are the top five types of workers’ compensation medical specialists you can see.

An Orthopedic Surgeon

Orthopedic surgeons and doctors specialize in injuries of the musculoskeletal system. The musculoskeletal system includes your bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. This system helps you move around and remain flexible.

You may want to see an orthopedic surgeon if you broke a bone, sprained a ligament, or pulled a muscle at work.

Orthopedic surgeons can treat you with or without surgery, depending on the severity of your injury. In addition to diagnosis and treatment, your workers’ comp orthopedic surgeon can assist with rehabilitation and prevention of future injury at work.

A Neurologist

Neurologists treat injuries and illnesses of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. These specialists use physical examinations in combination with powerful technology. CT scans, fMRIs, and other incredible imaging machines can give your doctor an image of what’s happening inside your skull.

If you received a concussion in the workplace, your doctor may refer you to a workers’ comp neurologist in Westchester for further testing.

Keep in mind that neurologists aren’t neurosurgeons. That means that if there is something seriously wrong in your brain, the workers’ comp neurologist won’t operate on the issue directly. In that case, he or she might make a further recommendation to see a neurosurgeon.

A Chiropractor

A chiropractor is a specialist who focuses on diagnosing and treating neuromuscular disorders. Usually, these manifest as misalignments of the spine. Spinal misalignments can lead to further problems, including migraines and trigger point pain.

Pulling a muscle at work may not seem like a big deal but if you begin to develop serious pain afterward, that’s a good sign you need a chiropractor’s services.

Chiropractors focus on treating various pain conditions with manual adjustments to the spine. You can imagine this procedure as an extremely intense massage.

A Pain Management Specialist

You may not realize it, but pain includes a wide variety of different conditions. These include acute pain, chronic pain, cancer pain, and more. Pain management specialists are trained to diagnose and treat this vast range of disorders.

Experiencing severe pain that makes it difficult to work after a work-related accident? You could probably benefit from seeing a pain management specialist.

When you head in to see a pain management doctor, he or she will do a physical examination and ask you about your symptoms and any previous injuries or illnesses.

These specialists then use a variety of diagnostic tools to find the root of the problem. Once your pain management doctor diagnoses you, he or she will design a tailor-made program to help you recover.

A Physical Therapist

Physical therapists are also known as PTs and these specialists help diagnose and treat conditions that limit movement. After a serious injury, you may deal with more than pain. You may experience the loss of movement in the injured limb or area.

So, if you’ve been injured at work and it’s affecting your ability to get around, you may need workers’ comp physical therapy in Westchester.

Physical therapists know that some injuries can make it difficult to get out of the house. So, the good news about physical therapists is that they can come to you. In the comfort of your own home, a PT can help you regain mobility, prevent disability, and teach you techniques to avoid injury in the future. Make sure that your Westchester physical therapist accepts workers’ compensation insurance.

How to Find a Workers' Comp Doctor Near You

When you’re looking for a Westchester County, NY workers’ comp to help with your case, New York law allows you to choose whoever you want. That is, as long as the doctor is authorized by the NYS Workers’ Compensation Board.

You can log onto the workers’ comp board website to find the physician who’s right for you. Yet, you may soon realize that digging through all of those names is a serious fete. Instead, why not let our workers’ comp specialists lend you a hand.

Tired of the endless search for a workers’ comp doctor who can help with your case? That’s where Workers’CompDoctor.com comes in.

Call us at (888) 590-4030 to find an experienced Westchester County Workers’ comp doctor near you.