Workplace accidents have been an issue since time immemorial. For example, many workers died during the construction of the pyramids. Unfortunately, they were not entitled to compensation, but they did have the honor of being buried in tombs near the site.
Today, although health and safety is a lot better in the workplace, accidents can and do happen. If the worst does happen, your best course of action might be to consult a good personal injury lawyer such as those at Lamber Goodnow of Denver who use every means at their disposal to ensure their clients receive just compensation for injuries. This often entails the use of technology which oftentimes eliminates the cost of lengthy litigation.
However, before we get that far, let’s take look at the most common accidents to befall people in the workplace – and how to avoid them.
Overexertion injuries
Overexertion injuries are something many people experience at one time or another. Back injuries, strained shoulders, and repetitive strain injuries, are extremely common. Luckily, in most cases, this type of injury is minor and nothing that a few days off work won’t cure.
Falls
Falls are usually caused by slippery floors, but falls that are more serious occur when an employee falls from a ladder, roof or platform. The potential for serious injury or death is high when an employee falls from height. This type of accident can be avoided by effective risk management strategies.
Slipping and tripping
Tripping over items or slipping on debris left on a floor can cause nasty injuries and you don’t need to fall over to end up with a sprained ankle or strained back.
If you have been injured on the job due to a fall that could have been prevented had the employer followed OSHA safety regulation, technology can help prove your case in court.
A good personal injury lawyer will often utilize video and video conferencing to bring the actual site of the injury into the courtroom where judge, jurors and everyone in attendance can literally see where the problem resides.
Impact injuries
Falling objects can cause serious injuries, particularly when they drop from a great height. The same types of injuries occur when an employee hits a stationery object, such as a glass door or window. Walking into a door or open cupboard door has great comedy potential, and for the onlooker it might be very funny, but for the victim, it is a painful experience.
Auto accidents
If your employees use company vehicles, such as delivery trucks or cars, they are vulnerable to auto accidents when out on the open highway. To a certain extent, you can’t always avoid auto accidents because another driver might be at fault. What you can do, however, is educate drivers on their driving habits.
Related: Simple Tricks for Improving Workplace Safety
Caught in and compression injuries
Compression and caught up in injuries are common in manufacturing environments. Employers need to make site safety a priority at all times, particularly when dangerous machinery is being used. All it takes is for an employee’s hair or clothing to be caught up in machinery and you have a major incident to deal with.
Assault
Violent assaults in the workplace are rare, thankfully, but they do sometimes happen because of personal tensions or external factors. An aggrieved employee throwing a punch isn’t so bad, but if that employee decides to bring their automatic weapon into the workplace, the outcome is unlikely to be good. To prevent problems, always have dispute management procedures in place.
When accidents and injuries can’t be avoided
A Spokane personal injury lawyer knows that it is unrealistic to assume that there will never be any injuries on the job. That’s why they are called ‘accidents’ and why their legal team is on the job working for just compensation for their clients.
For example, there are times when no matter how well trained a driver is in the art of defensive driving, another car could cause a collision. In a case like this, the team would use innovative technology to substantiate the injured party’s claims in order to avoid costly litigation in a court of law.
As used by the Lamber Goodnow team, wearables like Fitbit can track the every movement of the injured driver throughout the day to document in real time the extent to which his or her injuries are preventing a ‘normal’ lifestyle.
Yes, by all means send your drivers to defensive driving classes when at all possible, but in the event that an accident cannot be avoided, choose an innovative attorney who can get the compensation the injured party deserves with the effective use of technology.