According to the National Safety Council, a worker is injured on the job every seven seconds. Injured workers in the Indianapolis and Kokomo, IN area should reach out to a work injury attorney at Golitko & Daly. Our law firm is here to offer legal guidance and advice.
As common as workplace injuries are, certain kinds of accidents are more common than others. With that in mind, let’s take a look the five most common workplace accidents and why they happen.
Slips, Trips, and Falls
Slips, trips, and falls can result in numerous kinds of injuries to workers. Our Indiana work injury lawyers note that the severity of the injury is linked to the height fallen from or the structure from which someone slips and trips. These accidents may be the result of poor footing, slippery surfaces, or cords and exposed wires that present a tripping hazard.Accidents Involving Machinery
Whether you’re working with power tools or more specialized equipment at your job, machinery injuries can be severe. This is especially true of people who work in construction or in industrial professions. These accidents may be due to poor maintenance, overworking employees, or inattention while operating machinery.Vehicle and Transportation Accidents
The use of vehicles is common in many kinds of jobs. This means passenger vehicles and pickup trucks, tractor-trailers, and even earthmoving equipment (e.g., bulldozers, excavators, etc.). Many of the cases our Indiana lawyers assist with involve vehicle accidents and equipment.Fires and Explosions
Not all professions involve working with fire or combustible materials. Those that do have major hazards to account for. If you’re working in a field where fires and explosions are likely, it’s crucial to wear helmets, eye protection, and other essential safety gear. Burns and more severe kinds of injuries are possible whenever these sorts of accidents happen.Falling Objects
Falling objects are a hazard in many professions, particularly in construction. Tools or equipment too close to the edge of a scaffold or structure could drop onto people below. Wearing a safety helmet is imperative in these kinds of jobs. Yet there’s a great danger worth noting when it comes to pedestrians and bystanders around worksites. Objects dropping on non-workers can result in severe head trauma and brain injuries.The Fatal Four Construction Accidents
The above are some of the most common accidents at workplaces in general. We also want to highlight the accidents that the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) classifies as the “Fatal Four.” These are the four types of accidents that lead to more than half of all fatalities in the construction industry each year. The Fatal Four are as follows:- Falls
- Struck by Objects
- Electrocutions
- Caught-In or Between Objects/Vehicles/Machinery