Workplace Safety tips from our Workers’ Compensation Lawyers!

Last updated Thursday, November 7th, 2024

Workplace safety is a key metric for most businesses. Workplace injuries cost employers and employees alike and most are entirely preventable. According to OSHA safety, workplace injuries cost employers more than $1 billion in direct worker’s compensation costs alone. When higher insurance rates, workers’ compensation attorney costs, and other indirect costs are factored in, the cost of on-the-job injuries adds up quickly.

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Workplace safety issues cause losses in the form of lost wages, medical bills, and discomfort related to workplace injuries and workers experience the disruption of their work and family lives. The vast majority of workplace injuries are preventable with the right equipment, OSHA safety training, and a commitment by managers and staff to creating a culture of safety in the workplace.

We at Shuman Legal^®, after seeing the often avoidable devastation workplace injuries create, have become strong advocates for safety in the workplace, at home, and in our communities.

U.S. Workplace Injury Statistics

Some of the leading causes of accidents at work, according to the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, include:

• Overexertion – 25.3%
• Falls on the Same Level (i.e. Trips, Slips, and Falls) – 15.4%
• Struck by Equipment or an Object – 8.9%
• Falls to a Lower Level – 8.6%
• Other Body Reactions or Exertions – 7.2%

When employees are injured on the job, employers have to file a worker’s compensation claim.

Worker’s compensation is a form of workplace safety insurance employers have to help cover the expenses incurred from workplace injuries. It is not unlike requiring car insurance to cover expenses if a car accident and/or injury occur. Worker’s compensation claims amount to over $15 billion a year in the last decade.

Like any insurance claim, there are often obstacles and bureaucracy that need to be overcome! Our firm sees and manages cases for clients who are facing these daunting challenges, so it makes sense to share information that helps people understand the process and where we can assist them, especially if they are trying to recover from a workplace injury or have a difficult employer fighting their claim for compensation.

For more information and more workplace injury statistics in the United States, Check out this infographic below:

Consider these personal injury attorney’s tips for improving workplace safety:

1. Follow safety regulations to the letter – Eliminating shortcuts and encouraging employees to follow all safety regulations will reduce workplace injuries. While it’s easy to rationalize cutting corners here and there, it’s a bad habit, as it will lead to increasingly unsafe behavior. Draw the line and stick to it.

2. Be proactive in finding safety risks – Employers should regularly inspect their facilities to ensure no safety risks have gone unnoticed. A regular review can help mitigate existing problems and nip developing problems in the bud. Also, foster an environment in the workplace where employees can report problems that they may notice.

3. Train regularly – It’s not enough to conduct safety training once and expect your employees to remember it forever. Refresher courses remind employees of safety rules and how to use their personal protective gear.

In one year alone, 3 million people suffered non-fatal workplace injuries and 4,500 died from on-the-job injuries. Improving safety practices will reduce these numbers, saving lives, reducing costs, and increasing the quality of life for workers everywhere.

How A Lawyer Can Help You Get Compensation For Work Injuries

Our Personal Injury Lawyers know from experience that dealing with a worker’s compensation insurance company for work injuries can often be challenging for injured workers. What you have to remember is that the insurance company isn’t going to volunteer to give you compensation, the agent’s job is to give as little as possible, nothing if possible. The more money that they give you, the more money that comes out of their pocket.

By law, they are required to provide certain bare minimums and for most worker’s compensation insurance companies, that’s exactly what they’ll offer you. The minimum. We have had cases where representatives of insurance providers have tried to dissuade clients from seeking ongoing therapy and tried to downplay the severity of their injuries. Understand, that they aren’t here to help you. They’re here to look after their own interests.

Advice from our workers’ compensation lawyers:

Make Sure That You Report Any Workplace Injury You Suffer On The Job

You Deserve Fair Compensation For Work Injuries

Partial Or Total Disability Due To A Workplace safety issue or Injury

You Need Someone To Look Out For Your Interests when it comes to workplace safety!

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