Personal Injury Law

Obesity and Work Related Accidents

The New York Times ran an article today that explored an unusual theory: overweight and obese people are involved in more workplace accidents than other workers. Citing a study of the records of 7,600 aluminum company employees, it found that 85 percent of those who sustained an injury were overweight or obese. This applies to one-time traumas (accidents) as well as repetitive stress injuries. The study shows that injuries and excess weight tend to occur in the same people, not that being overweight causes injuries or vice versa. However, the researchers did some interesting speculation as to why the two could be connected. One suggestion was that safety equipment fits larger people poorly. Another was that overweight people might not be in great health to begin with and could be easily tired, or could be taking medication that affects their judgment.

We're interested in anything that could drive down the rate of workplace injuries, which can be serious and life-threatening. However, we're also interested in the idea that this gives employers another incentive to discriminate against employees or potential employees on the basis of weight. Overweight people are not a specifically protected class under most civil rights legislation, but New York plaintiffs have successfully recovered for weight discrimination before, under the Americans With Disabilities Act. Despite the fact that 66 percent of Americans carry some amount of extra weight, overweight and obese people still face prejudice. They may also face discrimination in health care, as providers may assume that a weight problem translates into current or future health problems. We hope that this study doesn't add to the problem.

Full post as published by New York Injury Talk Blog on June 19, 2007 (boomark / email).