Some workplace accidents are inevitable. Even though workers and employers take every safety measure to prevent themselves from workplace accidents, sometimes it’s just a bad day. More or less, accidents happen in every industry.

Even employers working in private sectors and non-fatal workplaces come across injuries while on the job. As per stats, in 2020, the number of injuries and illnesses increased by 32.4% compared to 2019. The prime reason was Covid-19.

Other occupations that saw an increase in workplace injuries included nursing (assistants, licensed and vocational, registered nurses), laborers, maintenance and repair workers, truckers and order fillers, stock material movers, to name some. This has also led to an increase in the need for Fort Lauderdale worker’s compensation attorneys.

What Is Worker’s Compensation In Fort Lauderdale?

Worker’s compensation is the right of every employee to claim for injuries caused while at work. The employee can file for worker’s compensation with his employer.

If your company does not provide worker’s compensation, you can work with a personal injury attorney to sue your employer for all the right reasons if the state allows you to do so.

Common Reasons For Needing Worker’s Compensation In Fort Lauderdale

Does any injury caused at the workplace is covered under worker’s compensation? Or just a few of the fatal injuries form part of worker’s compensation. This depends on company to company and as per the state laws.

Meeting with an experienced worker’s compensation attorney in Fort Lauderdale will help you get in the details.

Meanwhile, here are some of the common reasons when worker’s compensation can be granted:

Sprains And Strains

Sprains and strains are one of the most common injuries at the workplace. As per stats, about 1.5 million workers submit for worker’s compensation in the US due to strains and sprains. These can be caused by carrying heavy weights or working long during office hours. Neck sprains are most common in white-collar jobs.

Such injuries can also be caused due to overexertion. Forcing your body to work can result in ligament tears, muscle spasms, and other related injuries.

Slips Falls, Trips

These sorts of injuries occur when workers fall or slip at the workplace due to wet surfaces. Workers can receive claims for such damages too. Security guards, ground duty workers, store clerks, and storekeepers are some of the few people that are more prone to such injuries. They fall prey to such slips either due to freshly mopped surfaces or ill placement of rugs, railings, and other furniture.

Cuts And Punctures

Such injuries are majorly caused in small businesses, usually in factories. Jobs that require workers to handle sharp tools, automated machines, and heavy tools are most suspectable to such injuries.

Sometimes due to faulty machinery in factories, workers get their fingers, nails, and even hands chopped off. Such issues arise due to the poor maintenance of machines.

In other jobs where sharp tools are used, the workers are susceptible to cuts due to sharp edges, box cutters, knives, and unsafe flooring. The situations become worse due to workload.

Some of these cuts are too serious to heal within a few days. Such severe cuts make you miss your work and result in increased medical expenses. They may even require surgery. Getting worker’s compensation in such circumstances is highly vital.

Electrocution

Some of the jobs where the risk of electric shocks is high include electricians, forestry workers, crane operators, construction workers, utility workers, carpenters, and even truck drivers. A high voltage electric shock can be detrimental to life.

It’s one of the most dangerous types of injury that can even cause severe burns, brain injury, nerve damage, cardiac arrest, and life-altering injury at times.

Workplace Violence

Some jobs are more vulnerable to violence from other workers or the customers themselves. Workplace violence is quite common in the US as well. Some of the workers more prone to workplace violence include nurses, probation officers, psychiatric evaluators, taxi drivers, community workers like gas and water employees, salespeople, phone and cable installers etc.

Severe Stress Injuries

Sometimes a minor strain or sprain can turn into serious stress injuries with repeated stress and negligence. Such injuries turn into:

• Back injuries like spondylitis
• Shoulder injuries like torn rotator cuffs
• Back pain
• Knee injuries like runner’s knee
• Herniated discs
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Nerve damage

Such injuries get worse with time as workers avoid paying attention to them. Such injuries usually occur in white-collar jobs where most of the time is spent sitting at the same place in an awkward position. For instance, working in front of the desktop and placing your wrists over the mouse for a long duration can result in stiff wrists. The same goes for neck and back injuries.

Back injuries are also common among workers who lift heavy weights, especially construction workers, as part of the job.

Fractures

Fractures are a common reason for worker’s compensation. A fracture at a workplace is common. Even a minor fracture requires at least 2 to 3 months to heal. The broken bone requires time to joint back again. Some cases even require surgery and physical therapy. Common workplace fractures include rib fractures, arm fractures, leg fractures, hand fractures, and foot fractures.

Exposure To Harmful Substances

Workers that work in factories are often exposed to dangerous chemicals like lead, asbestos, benzene, mercury, silica, and acids. Such could be paint industries, mining, footwear factories, and such.

Long-time exposure to such chemicals can cause serious health issues that may not be directly visible but cause serious diseases. Such chemicals can cause cancer, lung diseases, skin rashes even failure of major organs. While working in such industries, employers should ensure that employees follow proper safety measures before exposing themselves to such situations. They should be provided with safety gear like goggles, helmets, gloves, bodysuits to minimize the effect of exposure.

If your employer fails to provide worker’s compensation, you can always contact a personal injury lawyer in Fort Lauderdale to get your rightful claim.

Fire And Explosions

In big manufacturing units, industries, warehouses, and factories, fires and explosions cause billions of losses. They also result in serious injuries to the workers that include severe burns but problems like inhalation issues, brain and lung damage, loss of hearing, respiratory problems, shock wave injuries, and wrongful death.

Worker’s compensation also covers wrongful death at the workplace. To know more, you can get a free consultation with Workers Compensation Lawyers Coalition’s Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorneys. You can seek legal advice for free without any hesitation.