In 1970, there were approximately 14,000 fatalities on the job throughout the nation, and some were probably here in Kansas. Then-president Richard Nixon signed the Occupational Safety and Health Act into law. That same Act protects you in the workplace with OSHA-written and enforced safety standards nationwide. Whether you work in an office or on a scaffold 100 feet in the air, your employer is obligated to adhere to the standards set to keep your risk of injury as low as possible.
The law expects your employer to provide you with proper training and all the equipment necessary to keep you safe at work. Most employers are also obligated to purchase insurance through which you may file a claim to collect benefits if you suffer injury during work hours.
Beware the hazards that may lurk at work
If you’re one of many in Kansas who earns an income in the logging industry, you may already be aware that this type of work consistently ranks number one for most dangerous jobs in the nation. The following list of jobs details other industries that place you at great risk for injury:
- When you think of fishing, your mind may conjure images of sitting beside a cool, still lake with sun shining down and glistening on the water as you cast your line and wait for a bite. To the contrary, working in the fishing industry is extremely dangerous. In 2016, it ranked second as one of the most dangerous jobs in America.
- Careers in the flight industry are also dangerous, mostly due to the potential for catastrophic disaster should engines fail or planes crash. This makes piloting and flight engineering among the most dangerous types of work in the nation.
- Driving commercial vehicles places you at great risk for injury as well. There were more than 900 commercial truck collision fatalities in 2016 nationwide.
Other jobs, such as roofing, farming, mining or steel mill work are generally more dangerous than work done behind a desk in an office, at a cash register in a store or in front of a chalkboard in a classroom. That’s not to say you are guaranteed a workplace free of risk if you earn an income in one of those industries; in fact, some types of office work place you at risk for repetitive strain injuries, where symptoms are not always immediately apparent but can be quite debilitating.
Filing a workers’ compensation claim following a workplace injury can be stressful and complicated. That’s why many injured workers in Kansas ask experienced attorneys to guide them through the process.