Personal Injury | Dallas Personal Injury Attorney

Do You Know how to Deal with Common Workplace Injuries?

It is a fact of life that most of us have to work in some capacity to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. While many professions have a low risk of injury in the workplace, there are some in which injuries occur fairly often. As reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of non-fatal occupational injuries in 2008 was 113 in every 10,000 full time workers. Of the 3.7 million recorded cases of injuries in private industry, 1.1 million were serious enough that they required the injured worker to take days off of work. Unfortunately, even though these numbers are lower than they were the previous year, they are still reflective of ever-present workplace danger. There is at least a slight possibility of injury in practically every work situation, but there are some jobs that are decidedly more dangerous and some more common workplace injuries within those occupations.

According to an article Norsteel.com, the most common workplace injuries involved:
• Overexertion
• Fall on the same level
• Fall to a lower level
• Slip and fall
• Being struck by an object
• Highway accidents
• Repetitive motion
• Struck against an object
• Being caught in or compressed by machinery
• Assaults/violent acts

Among those incidents, a chart on ReliablePlant.com breaks down the resulting injuries. Sprains and strains made up a large percentage of the injury cases, accounting for 41 percent. Bruises and contusions and cuts and lacerations were next in the list of most common workplace injuries. The Bureau of Labor Statistics goes on to caution that, while the incidence of workplace injuries was somewhat reduced in the last year, the median days taken off of work for injuries was up from where it had been for the past four years, which indicates that the injuries were more severe.

So what do you need to do if you are injured in the workplace? The best course of action is to follow these steps in filing a workplace injury suit. An injured employee should immediately inform his employer about the incident and injury. If the employer has the workers’ compensation forms they should be provided, otherwise they can be obtained at the state workers’ compensation agency. To help sort through the complexities of a workplace injury case, it is a good idea to consult with a personal injury lawyer who is experienced in these kinds of cases. This can be especially important if the employer disputes the workers claim. Also, once a decision has been given on the case, either party has the option of appealing, so an experienced attorney can be very helpful in obtaining a positive outcome for the injured party.

RASANSKY LAW FIRM
2525 McKinnon Street
Dallas, Texas 75201
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1-877-405-4313