What are the most common types of work-related injuries?
Atlanta workers’ compensation attorneys provide answers and advice on job injury claims when you’re hurt at work.
“It all happened so fast.” Although we’ve come a long way in terms of safety awareness and accident prevention in the workplace, life-changing mishaps can and do still happen to anyone at any time.
Some accidents happen with a crash and bang. A broken bone from a work fall, head trauma due to a car crash, a third-degree burn from a chemical explosion – these injuries are unmistakable and instantaneous. Other injuries, however, like overexertion, might start as a slight whisper but turn into a major source of pain and discomfort. Sometimes, you don’t even know an injury has occurred until hours or even days after the incident.
Still, other types of work-related injuries might not occur at any one single moment, but instead creep up little by little until the problem affects your day-to-day life in a major way. These injuries can have serious physical, emotional and financial ramifications.
Regardless of the type of work injury you’ve suffered, you are entitled to full and fair compensation under state law.
If you were injured on the job and are being denied workers’ comp benefits by your employer or an insurance company, don’t wait to contact an experienced Atlanta work injury lawyer at Gerber & Elkins. We will aggressively pursue your legal right reimbursement as provided under Georgia workers’ compensation law.
Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.
Inadequate training negatively impacts employees and employers alike, leading to costly injuries, low morale, and high turnover rates. Proper training is essential to ensure a safe and productive work environment, reducing the likelihood of workplace accidents.
However, when accidents do occur, it’s crucial to have a knowledgeable workers’ compensation attorney on your side.
Most common workplace accidents
and injuries in Atlanta
Accidents and injuries at work can come in many forms. Below are some of the most common.
Slips, trips and falls
Injuries related to slips, trips and falls are among the most common workplace injuries, accounting for approximately one-third of worker injuries annually. Falls at work can result from a number of factors, including wet or slippery floors, poor lighting, uneven surfaces, hidden or misplaced cords and other obstacles.
These injuries can vary in their severity but may result in:
Struck by an object or equipment
Workers across many industries are at risk of being hit by equipment or falling objects, but these injuries occur most frequently at construction sites, mining sites, factories, warehouses and distribution centers.
These accidents can result in serious traumatic injuries, like spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries, that often lead to lengthy recovery periods and significant medical treatment, including surgery and rehabilitation.
Repetitive motion injuries
Repetitive motion injuries are an increasingly common occupational hazard in all industries. In particular, workers in health care, office work, roofing, and meatpacking are at an increased risk of developing repetitive motion injuries as a result of their job duties.
Repetitive motion injuries can include conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis. While often less severe than other workplace injuries, these conditions can be extremely painful and cause decreased mobilization over time.
Overexertion injuries
Overexertion injuries include anything involving lifting, carrying or handling heavy or oversized objects. Lifting is a common activity in almost every industry, and it presents a risk of injury when done improperly or without proper safety equipment.
While these injuries are rarely fatal, they can result in long-term back, shoulder or knee issues that make it difficult to carry out normal work duties. When lifting objects of significant size or weight, employers should ensure that employees use appropriate lifting equipment and follow all safety protocols.
Vehicle crashes
Many industries involve transportation, including taxi services, mail and delivery services, schools, emergency services, and construction. Now that home-delivery services are becoming increasingly popular, more drivers are on the roads than ever before, making accidents inevitable.
These accidents can result in catastrophic injuries that can lead to temporary or permanent disabilities and require extensive medical care, especially when they involve large trucks or buses.
Who’s responsible for your work injury?
Did you know that more than 99 workers were killed on the job every week in the United States in 2016 alone? That’s about 14 or more deaths per day according to the US Department of Labor, and thousands more are seriously injured each and every year.
Moral of the story: You are not alone.
Serious workplace accidents and injuries can happen in nearly any industry but are especially common in construction, manufacturing, healthcare, landscaping and hospitality.
If you or a loved one are suffering due to one of these types of accidents or injuries, it’s important to know that just because these accidents are common doesn’t mean it’s your fault. While it is each employee’s responsibility to make safety a priority when on the clock, it’s also the employer’s responsibility to ensure a safe work environment. Often, employers can be held responsible for many of the most common workplace injuries that take place every day in this country.
The top 10 most frequently violated OSHA safety standards include:
- Lack of fall protection
- Failure to develop a hazard communication standard
- Lack of scaffolding
- Respiratory protection not provided
- Failure to control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout)
- Faulty ladders
- Unsafe powered industrial trucks
- Defective machinery and machine guarding
- Lack of proper safety training
- Defective electrical, wiring methods, components and equipment
Which type of work-related injury or accident is affecting your life?
Back & Neck Injury
Catastrophic Injury
Spinal Cord Injury
Truck Accident
Head & Brain InjuryOther types of work injuries
Some of the most common cases we handle involve the following work injuries:
- Air Rage
- Amputation
- Arm & Elbow Injuries
- Asbestos Exposure
- Broken Bones & Fractures
- Brown Lung Disease
- Burn Injury
- Car Accidents
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- Contusion Injuries
- Crush Injuries
- Customer Assault
- Degloving Injuries
- Dental Injuries
- Electrical Injuries & Electrocutions
- Excavation Accidents
- Eye Injuries
- Finger & Hand Injuries
- Foot & Ankle Injuries
- Forklift Accidents
- Gas Leak
- Grain Entrapment
- Hearing Loss
- Heat Stress & Weather-Related Injuries
- Heavy Equipment Accidents
- Hip Injury
- Knee Injury
- Leg Injury
- Lightning Strikes
- Lisfranc Injuries
- Loading Dock Accidents
- Mesothelioma
- Miscarriage, Birth Defects & Infertility
- Nerve Damage
- Oblique Injuries
- Occupational Arthritis
- Occupational Asthma & COPD
- Office Injuries
- Overexertion
- Popcorn Lung
- Pre-Existing Back Injuries
- Pre-Existing Conditions
- Repetitive Motion Injuries
- Scald Burn Injuries
- Shoulder Injury
- Silicosis (lung damage)
- Slip and Fall
- Tendonitis
- Tetanus Infection
- Toxic Chemical Exposure
- Tractor Accidents
- Unsafe Working Conditions
- Vision Loss
- Work-Related Cancer
- Work-Related Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Work-Related Chronic Pain Syndrome
- Work-Related Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
The best workers’ compensation attorney knows the law, rules, and regulations inside and out. They represent your best interest and will make sure you received the best treatment and settlement.
Free consultation for Georgia workers’ compensation injuries
If you’ve been hurt at work by these or other injuries, it’s important to understand your rights to compensation. Georgia’s workers’ compensation laws require most employers with 3 or more workers to carry workers’ comp insurance. This insurance provides workers with benefits that include reimbursement for medical care and lost wages after a workplace injury.
Workers’ comp is a no-fault system, which means that you don’t have to prove your employer was at fault for your injury to receive compensation. There are procedures that must be followed and deadlines for filing paperwork in order to receive compensation.
Also, it’s important to know that the Georgia statute of limitations limits how long injured workers have to file a workers’ compensation claim to within 1 year from the date of injury, not 2 years like most other personal injury claims.
So if you’ve been injured at work, it’s best to contact an experienced workers’ comp attorney as soon as possible after an accident to ensure you don’t miss your chance to be compensated.
