Common Causes of Pedestrian Accidents in Kansas and How to Avoid Them
Workplace accidents are part and parcel of every industry and sector in Kansas. No matter how safe a particular job might appear, it is not immune from worker injuries. Common causes of workplace accidents in Kansas affect most sectors and industries — some more than others. Even seemingly safe worksites experience their fair share of injurious work accidents.
If you need maximum compensation for a work injury, do not hesitate to reach out to Palmer Law Group for a free consultation. Call for answers and representation today!
Auto Accidents
Automobiles of all sorts and sizes are utilized in almost every sector of the economy. This pervasive use of motor vehicles inevitably leads to accident statistics. In other words, it is impossible to have pervasive motor vehicle use without accidents.
Some of the industries that commonly see auto accidents during the course of work include:
Commercial trucking and transport
Food delivery
Public and private commercial transportation
Road construction and maintenance.
Essentially, any worker who utilizes motor vehicles or is around them during the course of their employment can suffer an injury on the job. Even if a particular type of employment does not use motor vehicles whatsoever, an employee in said industry can still be injured in an auto accident on the job. For example, an employee taking an Uber across town to pick up documents or engage in some other form of business may still suffer a car accident while on the clock.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents are common in workplaces and everywhere else because gravity is always at work against the body. Anything that interferes with a person’s ability to remain upright can lead to a fall. Consider a wrinkled rug or spilled soap. Both can cause a person to lose their footing and end up striking the ground.
Employers and property owners have a clearly defined duty to provide a workplace that is reasonably safe from potential dangers, including dangers from slip and fall accidents. For example, a property owner or tenant (the employer) of a building that houses a business must ensure that the building and the premises are free from slip and fall hazards, such as ice buildup at entrances or spilled liquids in aisles.
Falls From High Places
Workers performing their jobs in high places are at a constant risk of falling. The use of proper safety equipment can mitigate the risk somewhat, but equipment can break, and employee training and adherence to protocols aren’t always perfect. Despite regulations and advances in safety technology, falls at work still happen.
Some of the jobs where the risk of falling from high places is particularly pronounced include:
Construction
Sign and billboard work
Window cleaning
Line work
Firefighting.
Any employment setting with a ladder, stairs, or two stories can be the site of a workplace fall. For example, changing a light bulb on a faulty ladder, without a spotter, or on an uneven surface can easily lead to a serious fall.
Heavy Lifting
Heavy lifting accidents are also common in many different types of worksites. Injuries that result may include:
Spinal cord injuries
Muscle tears
Stressed and broken bones
Heart problems
Sprains.
Employers should never allow employees to lift objects that are beyond an employee’s strength capabilities. When an employee is required to lift heavy objects, safety equipment like hernia belts may be necessary to prevent injury.
Overexertion
Overexertion can cause many different types of injuries as different body systems become disrupted. A common example of an overexertion injury is heat exhaustion. Working in extreme heat reduces a worker’s capacity and tolerance for physical labor. Whereas a worker might comfortably work eight hours in 75-degree weather, in weather topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit, they might only reasonably last four hours or less. Pushing past one’s limit can result in heat exhaustion.
Other types of overexertion injuries include:
Chronic pain
Injuries to the joints
Lower back injuries
Sprains, tears, and strains.
In many cases, a combination of unfavorable conditions can cause an overexertion injury. For instance, a delivery driver delivering heavy packages during a heat wave might fall victim to numerous of the above-listed injuries and others.
If you’ve been a victim of a workplace accident in Kansas, trust Palmer Law Group.
Repetition
There was a time when repetitive injuries were not acknowledged as compensable injuries. Many did not even know they existed. This failure to recognize is partly owed to the fact that these injuries occur over time, whereas accident injuries are typically a one-time, traumatic occurrence.
Types of conditions that occur with repetitive stress include:
Carpal tunnel
Stress fracture
Rotator cuff injury
Trigger finger
Shin splints
Tendinopathy
Golfer’s elbow.
These conditions typically remain unnoticed for some time before red-flag symptoms begin to appear. By the time it is reasonable to suspect a repetitive stress injury, the condition has already developed significantly.
Fortunately, compensation is now available for workers who suffer from repetitive stress injuries. Because the injury is directly related to the work they do, workers who suffer these injuries must often find alternative employment.
Harmful Environments
Exposing workers to harmful environments is sometimes necessary to complete a job. Proper safety equipment and trained personnel are mandatory in these circumstances, where workers face the risk of injury by way of:
Electrical shock
Harmful gases
Deafening sounds and noises
Bright lighting
Extreme temperatures
Corrosive chemicals
Radiation.
Proper protective equipment and training exist to mitigate and avoid these risks. Unfortunately, safety rules are frequently broken to the detriment of workers.
Intentional Violence
Sadly, intentional violence is not as rare in the workplace as it should be. News reports of workplace violence are regular and frightening. Injured workers deserve to be protected by their employers while fulfilling their work duties and can potentially sue when an employer negligently hires or negligently supervises a dangerous individual.
Workplace Injury Representation You Can Rely On
Injured workers need workplace injury representation they can trust. Their financial losses and future financial obligations require compensation. Palmer Law Group has been an aggressive and effective advocate for the compensation rights of injured workers and is ready to meet with you.
Injured in a workplace accident? Contact Palmer Law Group and get the help you deserve from one of Kansas’s top injury law firms. Call us for a free consultation today.