All employers and workers have been concerned about preventing injury at workplaces. Knowledge of the common forms of injuries and implementing effective prevention methods would create a safe workplace and minimize accidents.
Types of Common Workplace Injuries
These can range from minor accidents, such as small cuts and scrapes, to severe, life-changing cases. Some of the most common cases include slips, trips, and falls, due mostly to damp and slippery floors or even areas across the operation premises characterized by uneven surfaces and obstacles in the pathways. Common, too, are overexertion injuries that normally arise from lifting, pushing, and even carrying heavy loads or equipment; struck-by injuries a worker is hit by moving or falling objects or equipment or even his coworkers in construction and manufacturing; fall hazards, in which the majority of the time the injuries occur from rooftops and building edges; and ergonomic-related injuries, mostly musculoskeletal disorders or MSDs. For more detailed information on types of common workplace injuries, you can refer to this resource.
Psychological Prevention Programs
Naturally, the provision of a safe work environment entails the observance of various factors. Leading the list is working in a clean and orderly workstation with appropriate lighting, not blocking traffic lanes into and out of your workstation, and many others. Most importantly, offering ergonomic solutions includes adjustable working stations with proper tools for doing specific jobs, reducing the risk of accidents like repetitive strain injuries.
Safety training should be done routinely for all employees, taking into consideration associated requirements for their jobs and potential related risks. Many work procedures demand personal protective equipment and require compliance with those demands. Proper machine guards and periodic maintenance are also applied to machines using jobs to prevent accidents.
Moreover, employers should facilitate extraneous activities involving wellness and stress management that serve to actualize the general health of the employees. They, no doubt, establish a safer work environment by promoting the physical and mental well-being of the person involved.
The Occupational Safety and Administration Health Department offers many valuable resources to prevent workplace injuries.
Labor and Employment
Even with all the measures in place to avoid workplace injuries, accidents still do happen. If this does occur, workers have to be aware of their rights and be ready for a potential lawyer. Most employers engage in some kind of employment that requires them to be covered by workers’ compensation insurance to provide medical care and replace lost wages when employees become injured on the job. At times, handling the claims process may prove cumbersome, especially where there are disagreements concerning the scope of coverage or seriousness of the injury.
Some workplace injuries might even be due to the carelessness of a third party like a manufacturer of equipment or a contractor. In such a situation, contacting a work injury attorney could be in your best interest.
When to Hire a Workplace Injury Attorney
A good workplace injury lawyer would be willing to help in different possible situations, for example, when:
- The claim is denied or delayed
- You think that your employer is acting in a retaliatory manner due to your filing the claim
- The suffered injury was the result of another party’s negligence
- You receive a settlement offer that doesn’t appear to be enough
- Your injury is going to lead to you being permanently disabled
A workplace injury attorney will advise you on your rights, and assist you in this legally complex process of claims—to ensure you obtain due compensation, of course—third-party claims, and insurer negotiations.
Indeed, prevention is always better in terms of workplace safety. However, had an accident occurred, the knowledge of the rights for such would pave the way for the proper legal guidance in safeguarding your interests toward ensuring your future.
