You Have the Right to Not be Injured at Work

There are a lot of ways that a person can be injured in the course of their lifetime including activities that carry some risk for injury such as mountain climbing, skydiving and even cross country skiing. But other activities such as working in a non-dangerous field such as a retail store or driving truck are not generally things we deem dangerous.

But according to Occupational Safety and Health Administration which is empowered with overseeing safety conditions in the workplace, 4,451 workers were killed on the job in 2009. And in the same year there were 3,277,700 workers who were injured or became ill on the job. 

The most dominant injury for workers was sprains, tears or strains of muscles followed by the second leading injury on the job that affected the musculoskeletal system. And the average length of time the person missed from work was eight days but sometimes it could be as much as 26 days depending on the injury and the occupation itself.

Sometimes a worker is injured because of their own negligence and sometimes the injury is caused by unsafe working conditions.

That is where OSHA comes in to place to investigate work place safety and to work to help keep you safe on the job. If you have been injured on the job you have the right to pursue your claim for your injuries with a personal injury attorney. Most workers who are injured loose more than just pay for the days they can’t work. They also may end up with medical bills that they can’t pay and permanent injuries that may keep them from being able to work in the future. 

If you are injured on the job you know that your contribution to your family goes beyond your paycheck. If you are unable to work, your whole family is affected. A personal injury attorney can see the whole picture to include the non-financial losses your injury can cause such as having to hire a daycare provider to care for your children because you can’t provide care due to your injuries. These inconveniences can quickly add up to taking a big dent out of any savings you may have in place and any pay you received from a workers comp claim is likely to be slow in coming and less than your full paycheck. 

Is it really fair that if you are injured doing your job, you are the one to suffer the financial loss caused by negligence on someone else’s part? You won’t be fully protected unless you are aware of your rights and take the proper steps to fight for them with a personal injury attorney.

A personal injury attorney can work with your employer and OSHA to ensure the facts surrounding your injury are correct and then work with your employer to ensure your losses are correctly compensated to include anticipated future medical bills or compensation if you are unable to return to your line of work due to the nature of your injuries.