A worker dies on the job every 99 minutes in this country, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And some of the most dangerous workplaces can be found here in Illinois and Indiana. Industrial work involving construction, transportation, warehousing, agricultural, or manufacturing are known to be extremely hazardous. Accordingly, extensive safety regulations as well as detailed industrial safety standards exist to help keep workers safe on the job in these worksites. Read, Dirty Dozen Report: No Surprise the Most Dangerous Workplaces are Extremely Profitable Companies; and Workers in Indiana And Illinois Work in Some of The Most Dangerous Jobs in America.
Sadly, time and again employers and those with possession, custody, or control of aspects of the worksite ignore or disregard these safety measures. They do this year after year, choosing to place people in danger rather than taking steps to keep them safe on the job.
Workers get hurt or killed because of these breaches in established legal duties of safety and care.
It’s no secret. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) publishes an annual report on its top ten most frequently cited standards each year. The latest Top Ten are:
- Fall Protection, general requirements (29 CFR 1926.501)
- Hazard Communication, general industry (29 CFR 1910.1200)
- Ladders, construction (29 CFR 1926.1053)
- Respiratory Protection, general industry (29 CFR 1910.134)
- Control of Hazardous Energy (lockout/tagout), general industry (29 CFR 1910.147)
- Powered Industrial Trucks, general industry (29 CFR 1910.178)
- Fall Protection Training, construction (29 CFR 1926.503)
- Scaffolding, construction (29 CFR 1926.451)
- Eye and Face Protection, construction (29 CFR 1926.102)
- Machine Guarding, general industry (29 CFR 1910.212).
Also see: Fall Accidents on the Job: Industrial Workplaces and Great Danger of Fall Injuries; Lockout and Tagout (LOTO) Injuries on the Job: a Top Ten OSHA Safety Violation; Danger of Powered Industrial Truck (PIT) Work Accidents in Illinois and Indiana; and Machine Guarding: Serious Industrial Work Accidents Caused by Moving Machine Parts.
Work-Related Illnesses vs Accidents
People can suffer serious, permanent, or even deadly harm on the job in an astonishing number of ways. OSHA divides all these bodily harms into two main categories: (1) illnesses and (2) accidents.
From 29 CFR 1904.46(3):
An injury or illness is an abnormal condition or disorder. Injuries include cases such as, but not limited to, a cut, fracture, sprain, or amputation. Illnesses include both acute and chronic illnesses, such as, but not limited to, a skin disease, respiratory disorder, or poisoning.
Common work-related illnesses include things like mesothelioma; silicosis (exposure to silica dust); or injuries sustained as a result of toxic water contamination like those suffered at Camp Lejeune.
Work-related injuries are those suffered in a sudden or traumatic event while on the job. The bodily harm is almost instantaneous, like from a fall from a scaffold or an electrocution from exposure to a live wire.
Common Work-Related Accidents
Some workplace injuries seem to happen again and again, with tragic results. Even though these dangers are well-recognized, with repeated warnings given to those in control, these preventable accidents continue to occur. Consider this: OSHA confirms that over 99% of all work accidents are preventable.
According to OSHA, the most common work accident involves a slip, trip, and fall. Those working in the manufacturing industry face the greatest risk of being hurt or killed from a work injury.
Some of the common work-related accidents where workers suffer bodily injury include the following:
- Falling on the same level
- Falling down to a lower level
- Vehicular Accidents (trucks, forklifts, etc.)
- Caught-By Incidents (caught in machinery)
- Struck-By Accidents (worker is hit or crushed by an object).
For more, read: Ladder Safety and Worker Fall Accident Dangers In Illinois and Indiana; Forklift Accidents: Serious and Deadly Industrial Truck Injuries on the Job; Caught In-Between Hazards: One of OSHA’s “Fatal Four” Deadly Construction Accidents; and Beware One of the Deadliest Dangers on Construction Sites: Struck-By Accidents.
In a matter of seconds, workers can suffer life-changing bodily harm with common severe or fatal work injuries that include amputations; internal organ damage or bleeding; burns (resulting in scarring or disfigurement); traumatic brain injuries; spinal cord injuries; or death.
Read:
- Blunt Trauma Injuries in Industrial Work Accidents
- Traumatic Amputations in Industrial Accidents
- Chemical Accidents: Burns, Inhalation, or Neurological Work Injuries on the Job in Indiana or Illinois
- Work-Related Traumatic Brain Injury (WR-TBI) Dangers Facing Industrial Workers in Illinois and Indiana
- Spinal Cord Injuries: Tragic Result of Serious Accidents
- Electricity Injuries: Fatal Electrocution Accidents.
How to Stop People From Being Hurt or Killed In Preventable Work Accidents?
Regulatory agencies and safety advocates will push for things like increasing safety programs on the job; boosting educational programs for workers on dangers they can face; providing proper personal protective equipment; and having emergency plans in place for fast response times should an accident happen on the worksite. These are all important, of course.
However, as the statistics reveal, employers and third parties with duties of safety and care continue to disregard those responsibilities. We know that an American worker dies from a work accident every 99 minutes. We know that over 99% of those are preventable.
The passion of most personal injury attorneys involves not only getting to know people who have been hurt by the actions (or failures to act) of another, but being able to help these victims and their loved ones in the aftermath of a horrific and life-altering event.
Working together with accident reconstruction experts, injury lawyers can discover legal violations in care and safety and hold those accountable for their wrongdoing. Damages can be demanded from third parties that include manufacturers; shippers; contractors; suppliers; engineers; architects; industrial hygienists; and more.
See: Chicago Road Construction Worker Accidents: List of Third Parties Potentially Liable for On-the-Job Injuries; and 7 Different Parties Who Can Be Liable for Indiana Steel Worker Injury.
Monetary awards through settlement, mediation, or jury trial may provide significant compensation to the worker victim and their loved ones, including past, present, and future medical expenses; lost earning capacity; loss of a normal life; loss of consortium; past, present, and future pain and suffering; past, present, and future rehab and therapy expenses; and more.
Read: 10 Types of Injury Damages That May Be Awarded to Accident Victims; Damages are Different: Workers Compensation vs. Third Party Personal Injury Claims; Loss of Consortium Damages in Illinois or Indiana Work Accidents; and Catastrophic Injuries in an Accident: Damages for the Loss of a Normal Life.
And, in doing so, the personal injury lawyer hopes not only to help the client but to help prevent others from suffering from similar work accidents in the future. By revealing the wrong and forcing the wrongdoers to take responsibility, there is the expectation that their pocketbooks will speak to them in ways that public service safety campaigns have not.
For more on work accidents, see:
- The Steel Industry is Dangerous: How Can Personal Injury Attorneys Help Steel Workers Hurt on the Job?
- Construction Accident Expert Witnesses in Work Accident Claims
- Five Deadly Workplace Dangers in Warehousing and Industrial Storage Facilities
- Dangers Facing Agricultural Workers in Indiana and Illinois
- Manufacturing Work in Indiana and Illinois: Can Workers Force Manufacturers to Make Job Sites Safer?
Work accidents are preventable, and the danger of bodily injury is especially high in Illinois and Indiana with our extensive industrial worksites involving things like manufacturing, transportation, construction, warehousing, and agriculture. Please be careful out there!
