Data from the U.S. Department of Labor reflects that women are more likely than men to get injured in tech workplaces. Women might consider wearing more comfortable shoes to work upon learning that many of the reported injuries involved strains, sprains, and bruises involving the floor and other ground surfaces. The data also showed that most of those injured worked in office, management and administrative support jobs and were more than 35 years of age.

That’s not to say, though, that the overall chances of getting injured at work are high. In fact, labor data shows that the overall number of injuries involving women is considered small.

Of Injuries and Shoes

In 2004, 60% of injuries and illnesses in tech worksites involved women, totaling to 760. In 2005, the reported number of injuries was 1,120, with women accounting for 740 of them or 66% of the total. In 2006, out of 840 injuries, 480, or 57% of the total involved women. The data of reported injuries last year are yet to be released until next month.

Footwear, especially those with heels, can be the main cause of injury in the office, said Kristin VanSoest, director of operations and a consultant at Safety Resources Inc. in Zionsville, Ind. She added that women are more likely to injure themselves at an office than in a shopping mall. “If I’m setting out to go shopping, I’m not going to put on my most uncomfortable dress shoes,” she said.

OSHA 300 Log

Every employer is required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to keep an OSHA 300 log. The log records all injuries in the workplace. Based on these logs, federal officials can determine the patterns in specific companies and industries, said Steve McCown, a labor attorney at Littler Mendelson P.C., According to McCown all injuries involving treatment from a doctor, a worker’s compensation issue or requiring more than a Band-aid goes into the log.