While all California businesses are required to take certain safety precautions in order to protect their employees, there are some professions where employees will always be at risk for injury. If an employee does become injured while on the job, there are certain steps that should be taken.
Steps an employer can take if an employee becomes injured
Dealing with occupational hearing loss in California
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hearing loss is the third-most common chronic condition in older American adults. It afflicts 11 percent of the working population, and 24 percent of cases involving workers' hearing loss occurred due to noise exposure at their job sites. Any noise that is louder than 85 decibels is considered to be hazardous.
Daylight saving time causes increase in workplace injuries
Each spring, most people, including California residents, set their clocks ahead one hour. Research based on the U.S. Department of Labor and Mine Safety and Health Administration injury data from 1983 to 2006 suggests that the hour of sleep lost due to daylight saving time could be tied to the 5.7 percent spike in workplace injuries that occurred the day following each daylight saving time change. In addition to a greater number of injuries, researchers say injuries were more severe and caused a loss of nearly 68 percent more workdays.
Vibration and workplace injuries in California
While most California employees are probably aware of the possibility of having a workplace accident and becoming injured, they may not first think of the types of injuries they might suffer due to long-term exposure to vibration in the workplace. Vibration injuries, however, are a very real and documented type of workplace injury, commonly affecting people who use power tools as a part of their daily jobs.
Why falls continue to be a problem in the workplace
In California and around the country, falls are a persistent hazard in workplace settings. A serious fall can occur even when a worker is just walking through the building or trying to change a light bulb. According to information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 605 workers were killed and approximately 212,000 more were injured as a result of falls in 2009.
Safety report aims to reduce workplace injuries
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health released a new safety report that aims to reduce workplace injuries California and around the country. The report targets the grocery industry, but its best practices outline strategies for safety that can apply to other industries as well. Its main goal is to decrease injuries that occur while employees move goods from the delivery truck to the aisle, as lifting and carrying are common tasks that can cause musculoskeletal injuries.
Workers' comp for California employees with herniated discs
Many California workers may find themselves in need of workers' compensation if they sustain a herniated lumbar disc injury while on the job. A herniated disc occurs in the connected bones or vertebrae of the spine. Vertebrae are held together by strong and cushioned connective tissues called discs. These discs are made of a hard outer shell and filled with gel-like watery substance that absorbs impact from movement.
UPS worker awarded workers' compensation for PTSD
When it comes to work-related injuries, there are some that are more typical for certain professions than others. Take for example fire fighters who are more likely to suffer burns while on the job or construction workers who run the risk of head traumas and broken bones because of the work they do every day.
Reporting window for fatal workplace accidents reduced by feds
If you've ever suffered a work-related injury then you know what goes into the process of documenting and reporting an accident. It's an oftentimes laborious process that includes numerous questions about the injury and how it occurred. Despite the tedious nature of these questions, they serve a two-fold purpose: establish eligibility for workers' compensation benefits and whether an OSHA investigation is necessary.
What to know about hearing-loss prevention in the workplace
Did you know that hearing loss is the most common workplace injury to occur in the United States? Roughly 22 million workers are exposed to high noise levels, often suffering serious injuries to their inner ears and experiencing minor or even complete hearing loss.
