Workplace Injury
Any workplace can be a dangerous environment. According
to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
almost 5 million nonfatal workplace illnesses and
injuries occurred in 2002, and over 5,000 fatal work
injuries. Though these numbers seem to be decreasing,
almost everyone is likely to suffer some type of
work related injury or illness during their career.
Accidents in the workplace range from apparently
minor conditions as an aching back to brain and spinal
cord damage. The major causes of work-related injuries
include fires and explosions; exposure to toxic chemicals
or other environmental hazards; transportation accidents;
slips and falls; electrocutions; machinery-related
accidents; heavy object trauma; and even on-the-job
assaults by co-workers or third parties.
Factories and construction sites are by no means
the only location for workplace injuries to occur.
Office employees are subject to a wide array of serious
work-related dangers: carpal tunnel syndrome and
other repetitive stress injuries, sick building syndrome,
asbestosis, lead and mold poisoning, slips and falls,
and even occupational stress.
If you have suffered a work-related injury or illness,
you may be entitled to monetary damages, even in
cases where injuries appeared to be minor. You can
recover any medical expenses you have incurred as
a result of the injury, such as doctor and hospital
bills, medications, therapy, or home health care,
as well as any future medical expenses. You can also
recover for pain and suffering, out-of-pocket expenses,
mental and emotional anguish, lost wages, benefits
and other compensation. In some cases, if your spouse
has been injured, you may be entitled to collect
damages for the loss of pleasure or companionship
as a result of those injuries. Additionally, in cases
where the defendant's conduct is extreme or outrageous,
you may be entitled to collect punitive damages to
punish them and to prevent future misconduct.
Workplace injury cases can be incredibly complex;
the primary hurdle in most cases is that an employee
generally cannot sue his or her employer in court
while in the course of his or her employment, as
they are limited to workers' compensation solutions.
Employers fight hard to keep injured employees inside
the workers' compensation system and out of court.
Click on a topic below for more information:
Only in cases where the employer knew or should
have known that the workplace was unsafe can an injured
employee sue the employer directly for allowing an
unsafe environment to occur. Additionally, if a piece
of defective machinery or equipment in the workplace
has caused injury, all of the parties involved in
the design, engineering, manufacture, distribution,
sale, and installation of the defective machinery
may be held accountable.
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