As you can see from our website, the attorneys at the Cottrell Law Office are highly committed to educating their clients and the residents of Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. We offer a comprehensive electronic library of resources and articles covering numerous personal injury issues, including Social Security Disability and Workers’ Compensation. We also update our blog regularly in order to provide updates on the ever-changing laws in these fields. Essentially, it is our desire that the communities we serve stay informed.
This article will discuss some of the most common causes of work-related injuries reported in Missouri.
Missouri Workers Compensation benefits
All workers are entitled to a safe workplace and their employers are expected to provide one, unfortunately, not all employers adhere to workplace safety requirements. Consequently, many workers are injured each year and nearly every workplace in the United States presents some risk of injury or illness to its employees.
Missouri Workers Compensation benefits are intended to provide health care benefits to employees who are injured on the job, without having to resort to the courts. Typically, if you suffer a personal injury because of your work on a job, you would sue your employer for compensation. However, if you are entitled to Workers Compensation benefits, you can be compensated for your injury or illness without having to go to court. What are some of the most common causes of work-related injuries?
Exposure to Dangerous Materials
Depending on your job, you may be required to work with hazardous substances. If that is the case, your employer has a duty to provide such employees with the proper safety equipment to limit harmful exposure to those hazardous materials. This is very important because prolonged exposure to certain hazardous materials, like asbestos, for example, can result in serious and life-threatening health conditions such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis.
Defective or Unsafe Work Equipment
Injuries from using defective or unsafe work equipment is another common cause of workplace accidents in the United States. If a piece of equipment has not been repaired or maintained properly, or if it was designed or manufactured improperly initially, then injuries or accidents can result.
These types of injuries do not always involve heavy, complicated machines. Instead, a ladder can result in a fall and scaffolding may not be installed properly, resulting in accidents or injuries. These types of accidents often occur in warehouses, on construction sites and with assembly lines and mines. They often result in crush injuries, amputations, lacerations, and even death.
Non-Accident Related Workplace Injuries
Accidents and malfunctions are not the only sources of injury in the workplace. For some employees, depending on the nature of their jobs, suffer repetitive stress injuries. This is the result of continuous and prolonged use of the same set of muscles. Common examples of repetitive motion injuries in the workplace include carpal tunnel syndrome and bursitis.
Overexertion is another common workplace injury caused when employees pull, push, lift, carry, or toss objects for most of their workday. This physical exertion often results in serious back and shoulder injuries, sprained and torn muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
Work-Related Motor Vehicle Accidents
If your job requires you to travel in a motor vehicle or operate a vehicle such as a forklift or a tractor, then you may be susceptible to injuries from motor vehicle accidents. If you are operating the vehicle for work-related reasons, then your injury should be covered under Workers’ Compensation.
Lack of Safety Guidelines and Insufficient Training
An important component of providing a safe workplace is to establish and enforce sufficient safety guidelines as well as provide adequate training to employees. This is required to ensure the safety and health of all employees. On the other hand, if a workplace lacks safety guidelines or adequate training, then employees are at risk for illness and injury.
Negligent and Reckless Conduct of Employees
Employees being reckless in the workplace can also be a cause of work-related injuries and accidents. They pose a risk to themselves as well as to other employees. So, when you think of slip and fall accidents, falls from heights, and injuries from falling objects, you must also factor in whether the employee involved was negligent or reckless or whether the negligence of another employee may have caused the accident.
For example, if debris, oil, or other substances are left on the floor and the work area is not properly maintained, employees can slip and fall when trying to perform their jobs. This can lead to serious head injuries, bone fractures, spinal cord damage, and sprained or torn ligaments.
If you have questions regarding work-related injuries or any other workers’ compensation matters in Arkansas or Missouri, please contact the Cottrell Law Office for a free consultation. You can contact us either online or by calling us toll-free at (888) 616-6356.