Workplace Injuries in the Cannabis Industry: What’s Typical and How to Avoid Them
Any workplace can be hazardous, and the cannabis industry is no exception. With legalization, occupational safety regulations are expected to follow, so it’s important to get familiar with the main risks by looking at existing large-scale production. Colorado has collected solid statistics on workplace injuries in cannabis cultivation: last year, 350 workers in the industry suffered various types of injuries. Overall, the list of injuries is fairly standard for the agricultural sector—cuts, falls, impacts, and so on. However, certain types of injuries are more common in the cannabis industry.
Common Injuries in Cannabis Cultivation
Jim McMillen, Director of Safety at Pinnacol, Colorado’s leading insurance company, noted that last year there was an increased number of eye injuries among cannabis industry workers, most often caused by foreign objects. There was also a noticeable number of injuries related to strains from repetitive movements, such as during trimming.
Of course, minimizing injuries—both general and industry-specific—will require some investment, but these costs are not very high. For example, the issue of eye injuries can be effectively addressed by making the use of relatively inexpensive safety glasses mandatory. Other types of injuries can be prevented through safety training and improving workplace ergonomics.
Some Statistics
The large amount of data collected by Pinnacol has revealed several interesting facts about injuries in cannabis cultivation:
- The safest month is April. This might seem surprising given the 4/20 traditions and the associated rush, but in reality, the peak of injuries occurred at the end of the year.
- 70% of those injured are between 20 and 29 years old.
- As in other industries, the highest risk of injury—38%—is during the first six months on the job.
- Most injuries occurred between 10 a.m. and noon.
A Relatively Safe Industry
The 350 injuries last year occurred among an impressive 31,000 full-time employees in Colorado’s cannabis industry, meaning only about 1% of workers were injured. According to McMillen from Pinnacol, these positive numbers are largely due to the high level of regulation in the industry, with constant government and public oversight. Still, there are real opportunities to further improve these figures by paying more attention to occupational safety and working conditions.