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Staying Safe at Work & Understanding Workers’ Comp & Personal Injury Cases

Staying Safe at Work & Understanding Workers’ Comp & Personal Injury Cases

If you’re injured on the job, you’ve probably been told that the only compensation you can get will come from workers’ compensation insurance held by your employer. While this is generally true, there are other times when you can sue for personal injury compensation as well. Learn more about how workers’ comp and personal injury claims can sometimes overlap. Workers’ Comp Usually, if you’re injured on the job, you’ll file a workers’ comp claim. Workers’ compensation is insurance your employer carries for this reason. You don’t need to show proof of fault for a workers’ comp claim. You simply need to show that your injury occurred on the job and is somehow connected to your work. Under workers’ compensation, you get non-taxable income that equals about two-thirds of your average pay. You’ll also get compensation for your medical care and permanent injury. Personal Injury Claims If you’re injured due to the negligence of another person, you can file a personal injury claim. However, in order to recover damages, you have to prove your injuries and show that the other person was at fault. Personal injury settlements typically include compensation for lost wages, loss of future earnings, medical expenses, and property damage. Occasionally, compensation can also include pain and suffering. Areas of Overlap While workers’ comp and personal injury usually handle two different groups of people, there are times when the two will overlap. In these cases, injured workers might be able to file a workers’ comp claim and a personal injury lawsuit. For example: If a defective product injures you on the job, you might be able to sue the manufacturer...
Tips to Avoid Construction Site Accidents

Tips to Avoid Construction Site Accidents

Construction site accidents are all too common, but they can have serious consequences. Not only can accidents impact the physical and emotional health of the workers, but these mishaps can also delay projects and make it difficult to get crews onsite to handle the critical tasks. By following a few tips, you can reduce the chances of having major incidents and keep your construction site safe. Concerning Statistics It’s no secret that construction sites are some of the most dangerous places to work. In fact, out of nearly 4,700 worker fatalities in 2016, 21.1 percent were in the construction industry, according to statistics from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The highest risks include falls, being struck by objects, electrocutions, and being caught in or between walls or other objects. OSHA Training One of the best ways to protect your construction site is to require every worker who will be on the site at any point to attend an OSHA training session. OSHA provides detailed training manuals and resources designed to help construction companies create their own training for their workers. It’s important to follow their guidelines and topics to ensure that every worker on the site receives training that applies to their job. Some of these topics include fall prevention, hazard communication standards, general requirements in scaffolding, respiratory protection, and ladders. Maintain Proper Signage On a construction site, it’s impossible to communicate updates to every worker when people are coming and going at all hours of the day. You could have the concrete team starting their pours early in the morning, while some crews could come in later...
Common Personal Injury Cases

Common Personal Injury Cases

Several types of accidents can result in personal injury cases. Most personal injury victims are not aware that someone else’s negligence may have caused their accident. Having this knowledge can lead you on the right path of collecting compensation for your injuries. Hiring a professional legal team can help you to determine if your accident is due to negligence and fight for your compensation. Several accidents can result in personal injury (also known as PI) cases, but these are the most common. Auto Accidents Auto accidents are one of the most common causes of personal injury cases. If another driver hit you in an automobile accident and sustained injuries, you might be eligible to seek financial compensation for your injuries. Drivers can be held responsible for negligence if they were speeding, driving while under the influence, traffic violations, and much more. Your PI lawyer will work with the additional parties involved with your case to determine the circumstances. Accidents in the Workplace Another common PI accident results from workplace injuries. If you are a victim of a workplace injury, you may be able to seek workers compensation for the injuries you sustained while on the job. Hiring your personal injury lawyer early on will help your case due to their knowledge about the legalities involved with Workers Compensation cases. Slip & Fall Slip and falls can be very dangerous and lead to several injuries. While they can happen anywhere and to anyone, there are many things to take into consideration when filing your case for compensation. If you slipped and fell due to unsafe conditions such as wet paint or pavement,...

Best Ways to Reduce and Manage Workplace Stress

If you have ever had a job, you know just how easy it is to become stressed out. Sometimes stress is a good thing and can help with production, but often times, stress can be a negative feeling that can become detrimental to a person’s well being. If stress becomes unmanageable, it can interfere with productivity and can even cause an impact on physical and emotional health. Although we cannot control everything in our work environments, we can control ourselves and our reactions. There are many ways to manage stress in the workplace that can become beneficial to yourself and even to those around you. The better you become at managing your stress, the more positively you will affect those around you. Below are some tips as to how you can better manage your stress levels in the workplace: Learn to relax – go for a walk, stay hydrated, or listen to your favorite song Timing – timing is everything when it comes to stress management. Plan your tasks at the start of the day and work through an effective schedule Avoid overload – overloading a day can cause stress on anyone. Don’t feel like you are required to yes to everything asked of you; stick to a schedule and effectively decide what additional tasks you may be able to take on Communication is key – create a strong workplace environment by addressing issues in a considerate manner. Openly communicate with your coworkers to create a better workplace environment Make food choices that keep you going – eating small and frequent meals throughout the workday can help to maintain...

Construction Workplace Safety Tips

According to OSHA, nearly 6.5 million people work at approximately 252,000 construction sites across the nation on any given day. The fatal injury rate for the construction industry is higher than the national average in this category for any other industry. It is important to be practical, ergonomic, and safe when working in any construction area. Follow some of the tips below to ensure complete safety when working in a construction area: Common Safety Tips to Follow: Keep eyes and ears protected at all times – this is important as these are often times intense noises and vibrations occurring on construction sites which can cause serious injuries Always be aware of your surroundings Know, understand, and follow the workplace’s comprehensive safety program Don’t use damaged tools Do not carry or pull a tool by is cord or hose Double check work areas Scaffolding Safety Tips to Follow: Nearly 2.3 million construction workers work on scaffolds each year.  Unfortunately, fall hazards are likely to occur when scaffolds are misused or erected improperly; an estimated 4,500 injuries and 50 fatalities occur each year as a result of scaffolding. Below are important safety tips to follow when scaffolding: Do not support scaffolds or any other uneven surface with unsteady or portable objects Stay at least 10 feet from power lines when working on a scaffold Never overload a scaffold Do not use a damaged or weakened scaffold Never use a scaffold in bad weather Always keep an eye out for yourself and others on the scaffold or below the scaffold – everyone in the vicinity of a scaffold may be in danger...

Coping with Stress at Work

Regardless of what field your career may be in, at one point or another everyone has felt the pressure of work-related stress. Even if you love what you do, any job can have stressful aspects. In the short-term, stress may be caused by a deadline that must be met, or a demanding project. However, when work-related stress becomes part of a daily routine, it can be extremely overwhelming and very harmful to our physical and emotional well being. Although work-related stress is very harmful to our health, it is very common to experience it in today’s day and age. According to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) annual Stress in America Survey, during the year 2012, 65% of Americans cited work as their top source of stress. Only 37% of Americans surveyed said they were doing an “excellent” or “very good job” managing their stress. Below you will find some common sources of work-related stress, the negative effects work-related stress may cause & various steps one can take to manage their work-related stress: Common Sources of Work Stress Low salaries Exorbitant workloads Insufficient opportunities for growth/advancement Work that isn’t engaging/challenging Lack of social support Not have enough control over work-related decisions Conflicting demands/unclear expectations Negative Effects of Uncontrolled Work Stress When stress persists, it can take a toll on our health & well-being. Short term, a stressful work environment may cause various problems such as headaches, stomachaches, disturbances while sleeping, short temper & difficulty concentrating. Chronic stress can result in anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure, weakened immune system, depression, obesity & heart disease. Taking Steps to Manage Work Stress Track...