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Long shift workers may need workers’ compensation more frequently

On Behalf of | May 23, 2019 | Uncategorized |

You spent years training, honing your craft and working hard to reach where you are today. Whether you work in manufacturing, mining, construction, health care or any other type of high-skilled industry, you understand the importance of all training. Unfortunately, some companies appear to have forgotten some of these essentials. Your employer’s actions could be putting you in a position where you will need workers’ compensation benefits in the near future.

Inexperienced and underqualified workers are making up an increasing portion of the workforce. Many employers hire these inexperienced employees on a temporary basis as contract workers. Even if they are not at your workplace for the long haul, they could still put the safety of you and your co-workers at risk.

What’s wrong with contract workers?

The presence of contract workers in and of itself is not necessarily a problem. However, a recent study involving the mining industry found that contract workers are generally less experienced than their co-workers are. That same study also determined that workers who have less than two years of job experience in a particular industry are more likely to be involved in a workplace accident.

Irregular schedules are also a problem. Shift work can take a toll on workers regardless of the industry. Another serious risk factor for workplace injuries is working long hours.

How much is too much?

The researchers who identified inexperienced workers and irregular schedules as risk factors for workplace accidents also discovered that long shifts have a negative impact on worker safety. An analysis of approximately 546,000 worker injury reports from the mining industry yielded those results. From 1983 to 2015, an average of 9.6% of workers’ injuries was directly related to shifts of nine hours or longer.

With new technology and information, you might expect the mining industry to improve their safety practices over time. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Long shifts caused only 5.5% of mining industries in 1983. That figure had increased to 13.9% by 2015.

Were you working a long shift?

Long shifts put a significant amount of physical and emotional toll on workers. Even if a worker has spent years working long shifts, he or she is still susceptible to these effects. If you suffered injuries while working a long shift or on an irregular schedule, you may need help getting the compensation you deserve.

Workers’ compensation benefits are important for injured Kansas workers. Few people realize just how expensive an injury can be until they are dealing with the aftermath of a devastating workplace accident. Those medical bills are often further complicated by a loss of income as injury victims take time off to recover. This is why securing workers’ compensation benefits as soon as possible is so important. With financial worries off the table, you can better focus on your recovery.