Workers confront many hazards on the job, and thousands of Arizona workers end up in the hospital with a work-related injury. At Snow, Carpio & Weekley, PLC, our Arizona workers’ compensation lawyers are standing by to help injured workers seek benefits. Your employer should have purchased a workers’ compensation insurance policy to comply with the law, and you are entitled to benefits if you are hurt on the job. Please call our firm. Obtaining medical and time loss benefits is easier said than done. We can help those hurt in all sorts of accidents, including those listed below.
What Are the Top Workplace Accidents?
The National Safety Council published a report outlining the most common causes of workplace injuries for 2021 and 2022. This is the most recent data available. Millions of workers are injured by the following:
Overexertion
A worker can overexert when they engage in pulling, pushing, tugging, bending, or lifting for extended periods. A worker can suffer serious soft-tissue injuries, including torn muscles, strained ligaments, or pulled tendons. When a worker works too hard, they can experience:
- Pain
- Swelling
- Limited movement
Repetitive motion injuries are common with overexertion. Workers suffering from carpal tunnel, bursitis, tennis elbow, and other injuries should be covered by workers’ compensation. Medical treatment can include massage and prescription medications. Very serious injuries might require surgery.
According to the National Safety Council, there were more than one million reported overexertion injuries across the nation in 2021-2022. They vary in severity, but countless workers will end up missing time from work.
Contact with Equipment or Objects
Many workers are injured in “struck by” accidents. In other words, an object strikes the worker, who ends up with traumatic injuries like fractures, concussions, contusions, and head injuries. More than 780,000 workers across the country were injured in this type of accident in 2021 and 2022.
These accidents include:
- Falling objects or materials which strike a worker (think of a hammer falling off a roof)
- A worker getting an arm or hand pinched or squeezed by machinery
- Equipment toppling over and landing on a worker
- A building or wall collapsing on a worker
Sometimes, the product used is defective, or else the worker didn’t pay attention. In Arizona, workers’ compensation benefits are provided in a no-fault manner, so you should submit a claim for a struck-by accident.
Falls and Trips
Workers can suffer painful injuries after slipping or tripping. Some falls happen on the same level. A worker might slip on a piece of trash on the floor and strike their head on the ground when they land on their back. Falls end up causing concussions, whiplash, back injuries, shoulder injuries, and more.
Other accidents involve a worker falling one or more stories. A construction worker falling off a roof is an example. Falls from one level to another tend to cause more serious injuries when the worker strikes the ground and can result in paralysis and permanent disability. These accidents might also be fatal.
About 670,000 workers were injured in slips, trips, and falls in 2021 and 2022. This is the type of accident which can affect any worker in any industry.
Exposure to Harmful Substances
This is another big category, with more than 650,000 workers injured in a two-year period. Harmful substances include:
- Electricity—A worker can end up electrocuted and suffer brain injuries, burns, nerve damage, and other serious injuries. Electrical currents often cause internal, invisible injuries, which makes them hard to treat.
- Noise—Excessive noise is a type of pollution which can lead to hearing loss, which is often permanent. Workers should receive ear plugs or other protective equipment to dampen noise.
- Extreme heat—Heat-related injuries are sometimes fatal. A worker suffering from heat stress is also prone to lapses in judgment, such as wandering into traffic or falling off a roof. Any worker can suffer heat stroke or heat stress in the summer months. Factories and other jobsites also have excessive heat year-round.
- Excessive cold—Arizona also has extremely cold evenings, which can result in frostbite, hypothermia, and other injuries. Workers should have adequate clothing to help them stay warm.
- Asbestos—This is a dangerous mineral which can lead to lung cancer, asbestosis, and respiratory problems once inhaled. Decades can pass between exposure and the manifestation of an illness.
- Viruses and germs. A worker who gets violently ill has also suffered a work-related injury. Influenza can be fatal, and COVID-19 also falls in this category.
Other Accidents
Thousands of other workers are hurt by:
- Motor vehicle collisions. you might be struck while traveling for your job, or you work around vehicles. A construction worker might get hit by a forklift or crane, for example.
- Violent attacks. Violence happens much too frequently at work. A person might be injured by a coworker or member of the public.
- Animal attacks. These are rarer, but animals can attack those who work with them. Think of a vet tech who gets bitten by a dog.
Help Making a Workers’ Compensation Claim
The system was designed to allow injured workers to obtain benefits in a streamlined manner. Before workers’ comp, an injured worker needed to file a lawsuit, which could take years to resolve. Today, you should immediately qualify for medical care for any on-the-job injury. Workers might also qualify for time loss benefits.
Sadly, too many workers are rejected for benefits. The legal team at Snow, Carpio & Weekley, PLC, meets regularly with people who are struggling after an accident and need financial help. We can answer your questions about the process and bring an appeal, if necessary.
Our team focuses on building the factual basis of your claim. Although benefits are no fault, we still need to establish you were hurt while working. An insurer will deny a claim if you were injured outside work, or if your claim is solely pre-existing.
Schedule a Free Consultation with Our Arizona Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Today!
Our Arizona workers’ compensation lawyers have helped countless workers obtain benefits. Let us identify ways to bolster your claim. Call (877) 370-5788 to schedule your free consultation with our law firm.
