Around the world, most people are right-handed, with the remaining few being either left-handed or mixed-handed. This predominance of right-handedness has a strong effect on work environments. Most tools and most security measures (e.g., emergency buttons that need to be pressed to stop a machine) are designed for optimal use by right-handed workers. This has led psychologists to conduct research on the question of whether left-handed people are more likely to have accidents at work. However, the results of past studies have been quite inconsistent, making it clear that large studies with thousands of volunteers are needed to get robust insights.
A new study on handedness and occupational accidents
A new study, just published in the scientific Journal of Occupational Health, was focused on investigating whether handedness affected the incidence of work accidents in Japanese workers in a large cohort of volunteers (Tomizawa and co-workers, 2026). In the study, the research team led by scientist Aki Tomizawa from the University of Occupational and Environmental Health in Kitakyushu, Japan, gathered data from more than 4,000 Japanese workers.
Each volunteer filled out the FLANDERS handedness questionnaire, a commonly used tool in psychological research to determine handedness. Volunteers reported whether and how often they had visited a medical facility for work-related injuries in the past year. The volunteers also had to indicate which work-related injuries they suffered from, such as injuries from being caught or pinched, burns, and electric shocks. Moreover, the scientists collected some personal information about the volunteers, such as their age and gender.
Results of the study: Mixed-handers have more accidents at work
Overall, the handedness of the workers who volunteered to participate in the study looked like this:
