Millions of American workers will experience an on-the-job injury each year. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has created many rules to help prevent this number from growing but there will always be human error that leads to mistakes, or negligent employers that promote unsafe working conditions. If you want to do your part in keeping yourself and others at your job safe and sound, it helps to know what sort of injuries are the most common, what causes them, and what can prevent them.
The five most common workplace injuries, in no particular order, are:
- Falls: Falling off a high place, such as when working on a construction zone, or slipping and tumbling down stairs or on slick tiling are very common workplace injuries. In order to prevent broken bones, head injuries, or worse, every precaution available must be taken to stop slip and fall accidents. Report any rickety railing or broken steps you see at work, and always use a harness if you are required to climb a structure during construction.
- Muscle tears: Lifting and carrying heavy objects is a common requirement of many jobs, such as retail work; and so, back injuries, muscle tears, and other harm caused by overexertion is also common. Workers must be allotted ample break times and supplied with plenty of water whenever they perform physical labor, or else they could be susceptible to serious injury.
- Repetitive motion injury: Office workers are painfully aware of how harmful and debilitating a repetitive motion (RMI) injury may be. One of the most frequently occurring forms of RMI is carpal tunnel, which is caused by hours of typing a day. Other seemingly safe and insignificant activities can eventually cause nerve, tendon, and joint pain.
- Illness: In essentially every occupation, there exists the threat of catching a serious illness. Nurses and doctors in particular are regularly exposed to harmful bacteria and diseases that can cause life-threatening complications. Diseases can also be caused by exposure to dangerous substances in the workplace, such as asbestos, lead, or radioactive materials.
- Traffic accidents: A worker who must leave the office or worksite as part of their occupation can be severely injured in a car accident. If the travel was required for their job, or if they were on-the-clock, workers’ compensation should be rewarded to take care of them. Police officers, firefighters, food delivery couriers, and taxicab drivers are particularly at risk of being hurt in a car accident while also earning a paycheck.
Did you or a loved one suffer a serious accident while at work and now need to worry about paying your bills? You shouldn’t have to! Contact Albuquerque Workers’ Compensation Attorney Michael J. Doyle for a professional lawyer’s support when you file for workers’ comp. We operate on a no recovery, no fee basis, meaning you are not expected to pay us unless you wind up with the settlement, verdict, or benefits you require. Call 505.219.2176 today for more information.