People often think of certain professions, such as office work, as being safe. The fact is that every job comes with some risks. Understanding those can help employers provide the tools and protocol they need to keep their employees safe. When employers don’t do this, the workers might suffer injuries.
Looking at worker injuries across all industries, it becomes clear that some are more common than others. The top three include overexertion injuries, slip/trip/fall incidents, and contact with objects or equipment. Other common injury causes include:
- Accidents involving transportation: All sorts of transportation-related incidents are included here. These can include watercraft, railways, aircraft, automotive and bicycle injuries.
- Violence: This involves attacks from people or animals that occur while the person is working. Bites or maulings from animals and being beaten by co-workers or customers are both examples of work-related violence. Around 44,000 incidents in this category occur each year.
- Hazardous exposures: Employees can suffer from things like radiation exposure, extreme temperatures that lead to heat stroke or frostbite, inhalation hazards that can damage the lungs or lead to cancer and electrical currents.
Injured employees should ensure they follow the rules for alerting their employer about the incident. Workers’ compensation can help cover the expenses related to the injury. This includes paying for medical bills and providing partial wage replacement for workers who have to remain off work while they heal. There are times when receiving these benefits will require you to file an appeal. Your attorney can help you to get this done, but you must act quickly due to strict time limits.