Accidents at work happen for many reasons. Employers should be aware of the various causes and take steps to try to avoid these types of workplace accidents or, at least, take preventive steps to try to reduce them.\u00a0 A common misconception is that the employer has to be negligent or \u201cat fault\u201d for the accident at work. This is false. Workers in North Carolina and Virginia do not have to prove that the \u00a0employer was responsible for a workplace accident in order to have a valid workers compensation case. The worker just needs to prove a workplace accident did occur at some specific moment in time, and the injuries were caused by the workplace accident. Still, the best way employers can help their workers is to take safety precautions to prevent the accident from occurring.<\/p>\n
Attorney Joe Miller is an experienced North Carolina and Virginia Workers\u2019 Compensation<\/a> attorney. When a common or uncommon workplace injury occurs, he has the skills and tenacity to file, negotiate, and litigate your work injury claim. He also understands that often times the type of accident is an indicator of the types of injuries that occur and the typical time frame for how long the worker will likely be out of work.<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Workplace violence.<\/strong> Many injuries are caused when workers get into arguments with other workers or when a worker has mental health issues and that instability leads him\/her to lash out at other workers. In Virginia, if the employee was an unwitting victim of horseplay or violence, he or she still has a valid claim. On the other hand, if the worker was a willing participant, this may invalidate the claim, especially if the argument had nothing to do with the work at hand.<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Repetitive Stress or noise exposure.<\/strong> Many workers suffer injures due to repetitive motions such as working with computers or performing the same tasks over and over and over again in an assembly line or using hand tools. These are known as occupational disease injuries. Employees who suffer this type of stress often get injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, or hearing loss. \u00a0Better equipment and better training, and rule enforcement can help reduce these types of injuries. Employees who suffer repetitive motion injuries, hearing loss, or some other injury they believe was caused by conditions at work need to speak to an experienced Workers\u2019 Compensation lawyer because there are very specific things that need to be proven in order to qualify for a valid occupational disease case.<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Getting clothes or body parts entangled in machinery.<\/strong> Clothing, hair, fingers, shoelaces, and other items can get caught in the machinery which can then cause severe injuries including loss of a body part. Employers should make sure workers are educated about the risks of working with some types of equipment and take necessary preventative steps. Examples of safety measures include better equipment and educating the employee about proper work techniques. We often see some of the most severe injuries where employers cut corners by failing to properly maintain equipment, failing to utilize machine safety guards, deliberately disengaging safety devices, or failing to have any written, enforced rules or procedures for hazardous work duties.<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Car and truck accidents<\/a>.<\/strong> Many workers such as construction workers or delivery drivers use vehicles for their job.\u00a0 Vehicle accidents can be deadly or cause serious injuries.\u00a0 Workers should be advised on the local driving rules and on how to properly operate the vehicles \u2013 especially trucks. Employers should have clearly defined and enforced safety rules which require the use of seatbelts at all times.<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lack of industry standard simple safety measures.<\/strong> Many workers get injured because they are concentrating so hard on immediate physical tasks that they fail to see objects that can hurt them. For example, a worker may not see a door, table, while carrying a heavy load, or not see a person while driving a forklift around a corner. \u00a0Also Employers should create a work environment that minimizes these types of accidents. For instance, the installation of wide-view mirrors at strategic points in a plant or factory can increase visibility of oncoming vehicles and people. Creating ergonomic environments where employees with restricted vision will have a path clear of obstacles is also helpful.<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Falling Objects.<\/strong> Employers should make sure that shelves aren\u2019t overstocked and that items hanging from the roof or other high places are secure. Workers should be advised to wear helmets in certain work areas. Injuries can include brain damage, head trauma, and pain in the area where the object strikes the worker.<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Slips and Falls.<\/strong> This type of workplace accident is very common. Workers can slip or trip when there are loose objects lying around, the floors are slippery, there are tears in carpets, or for a variety of other reasons. Injuries can include broken bones, soft tissue injuries, bruises, concussions, and lacerations. In severe cases, a worker may suffer death or permanent injury.<\/p>\nThe Most Common Types of Workplace Accidents<\/h2>\n