This week, Pie Insurance released its latest small business survey, which outlined some of the more unusual workplace claims businesses have faced, as well as their attitudes to workplace safety.

As many as 50% of small business owners said they have made a workplace injury claim in the past five years, according to the survey. And while most experienced common injuries like slips, falls and cuts, accidents come in all shapes and sizes.

Here are some of the most uncommon accidents small businesses experienced that the Pie survey uncovered:

• A bird flew into a worker's face while they were on the roof of a house and broke their nose.
• An employee broke their foot when frantically running away from a spider.
• A customer opened champagne and an employee got popped in the eye by the cork.
• An employee accidentally set himself on fire attempting to burn trash at a drill site when he used gasoline instead of diesel.
• An employee was injured by a robotic arm that grabbed her and inflicted trauma to her chest. It was an operation error.
• An employee slipped while being chased by a chicken.
  
• An employee broke his finger when he stepped from the truck and caught his wedding ring on the truck door handle.
• An employee was bit by a baby skunk at a worksite.

However, when asked what their biggest workplace safety nightmare or worst-case scenario was, many small business owners cited unforeseen hazards like natural disasters, workplace violence and mental health.

The survey uncovered “a growing concern among small business owners" regarding climate-related events and the potential impact on workplace safety. In addition, workplace violence and security threats, such as shootings, intruders, assaults and robberies also emerged as significant concerns for business owners.

“These worst-case scenarios underscore the necessity of a comprehensive approach to workplace and employee safety and the importance of comprehensive emergency preparedness plans," the survey said.

“In the face of a natural disaster or security threat, proactive measures such as emergency response planning and safety training can possibly mitigate harm to workers and minimize disruptions to business operations," the survey said. “While these aren't events we can predict or stop from affecting your clients' businesses, you can raise awareness of being as prepared as possible to potentially reduce harm to their workers."

Also, 13% of business owners said that mental stress was the most common workplace injury their employees have experienced in the past five years. However, mental health-related injuries are not confined to specific industries and they affect businesses across a variety of sectors, the survey found.

Workers in less physical industries were actually more likely to point to mental health claims as the most common injury faced in their workplace. From media and arts (19%) to finance (24%) and IT (36%), small businesses are grappling with the repercussions of workplace stressors, underscoring the urgent need for proactive intervention.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 12 billion working days are lost each year to depression and anxiety at a cost of $1 trillion in lost productivity. “No matter your client's industry or size, work can trigger anxiety, stress and mental health issues," the survey said. “It goes without saying that having healthy and happy workers directly impacts any business' financial success."

Meanwhile, as the U.S. approaches summer, 35% of small business owners do not plan to make adjustments in preparation for rising temperatures, despite 31% of employees revealing that they have been more vocal about rising temperatures affecting their work.

Will Jones is IA editor-in-chief.