Articles Posted in Workers’ Compensation

Employers are expected to provide a safe work environment for their workers and stores and other businesses are expected to provide a safe environment for patrons. Unfortunately, not all employers and business owners are careful about security and this can lead to violence in the workplace, injury, and workers’ compensation claims in Hollywood and other communities.

According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) over 2 million workers suffer due to violence each year. Many business patrons and customers also are subject to violence and injury.

According to OSHA, workers are especially subject to violence and crime if:

•Their work involves exchanging money with the public
•They work with aggressive people
•They work in isolated areas or alone
•They offer services and care as part of their job (healthcare professionals, customer service agents, health care professionals, delivery personnel, public service employees, and law enforcement, for example, are all more at risk of violence)
•They work somewhere where alcohol is served
•They work late at night or outside of business hours, when there are fewer people around
•They work in areas with high crime rates
Not surprisingly, customers are also at risk in similar situations. For example, customers at banks are more at risk if someone decides to rob a bank or steal money, since ATMs and banks make attractive targets. Customers are also more likely to be a victim of a crime at a business if there are few people about, if the business is located in a high-crime area, or if the business attracts aggressive people. Customers of a bar in a higher-crime area, for example, may be more at risk than customers shopping in a well-lit mall on a Saturday afternoon.

Employers and business owners are expected to take steps in order to prevent crimes on their premises. They are expected to be aware of the dangers in their place of business and to take steps to keep patrons, clients, customers, and workers safe. This may involve:

•Hiring security personnel
•Putting up security cameras as well as warnings that cameras are in place
•Screening employees for aggression and violent tendencies
•Keeping doors and windows secure
•Providing extra security for isolated areas
•Having a written policy for safety in the workplace or business
•Keeping all areas of the business well-lit
•Posting clear warnings in dangerous areas where customers or workers should not venture
•Putting up signs and warnings if there are crimes occurring in the area
When employers or business owners are negligent and a crime or violence occurs, the victims of crime have rights. Many do not realize that they may have a civil claim or an inadequate security claim in Hollywood or their community. If an act of violence has occurred because a property owner did not take adequate precautions, however, the victim of a crime can seek to file criminal charges as well as a personal injury claim.

In this situation, a personal injury claim can be filed even if the perpetrator is never caught. The claim can help a victim pay for medical care, counseling, property damage, lost wages, and more. To start a claim, someone who has been injured simply needs to contact a personal injury attorney in Hollywood or their community in order to find out whether they have a case.

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According to safety experts, workplace violence and bullying often go hand-in-hand to create unsafe work environments and work injury in Homestead and other Florida communities. While a lot is said about bullying in schools, however, not enough is said – and done – about the same problem in the workplace. In fact, bullying is often seen as a problem that just affects our youth. While it is a problem that causes child injury in Homestead and other communities, ignoring it in the workplace can lead to injuries and instances of violence.

In the workplace, bullying can involve threatening behaviors, verbal abuse, disrespectful behavior, intimidation, offensive behaviors, humiliation, and other actions. Bullying is repetitive and is done intentionally, often targeting one person or one group of people.

Bullying in the workplace can create an unpleasant atmosphere at work and can contribute to:

•Absenteeism
•High worker turnover rates
•Poor performance and decreased productivity
•Negative work environment
•Business problem, including a bad image for the company or decreased profitability
•Conflict
•Physical violence
The biggest problem, of course, is that bullying can escalate from verbal abuse to more controlling behaviors and even physical violence. According to psychologists, adult bullies are usually people with little empathy, poor social skills, and considerable insecurities. In some cases, they may have other issues that could potentially make them violent.

One thing that allows bullying in the workplace to continue is the lack of recognition of the problem. Employees may complain about having to work with someone who is “difficult” but don’t always recognize bullying behavior. There are fewer educational campaigns about adult bulling when compared with bullying in the playground or schoolyard. In cases where the bully is a boss or other person in authority, it can be especially intimidating or challenging for workers to report the issue.

There is no doubt that workplace bullying and violence is a real problem, though. According to the Department of Labor and Industry, there were 12,827 workers murdered in their places of work between 1992 and 2010. In fact, murder is the second leading cause of fatalities in the workplace. Each year, there are about 2 million reported instances of workplace violence across the country.

If you are being bullied in the workplace, it is important to take action quickly – before the bullying can escalate to violence. It can be helpful to document the evidence of incidents and keep a list of any witnesses. Speaking with a supervisor or the HR department is also important to report the incidents. If the bullying continues and leads to violence or injury, it is important to consult with a personal injury attorney in Homestead or your community.

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March is coming up soon and it is Eye Safety Awareness Month. It’s a good month to review the ways you can prevent eye injuries, especially at work. According to statistics, over 2000 eye injuries take place in workplaces daily. About one in ten of these work injuries in Homestead and across the country are serious enough to result in lost work time. In about 10 to 20 percent of cases, workers suffer temporary or permanent loss of vision.

Of course, some workplaces are more dangerous than others. Construction site injuries in Homestead and other communities often result in eye injuries and head injuries, for example. Factory jobs also carry a high risk. But just because you work in a less dangerous job, though, does not mean that you don’t have to worry about eye injuries. Statistics show that about 40% of eye injuries that happen in the workplace occur in labs, offices, healthcare settings, and other workplaces we don’t usually consider as being “high risk.”

Experts agree that many workplace injuries and eye injuries are preventable. Most eye injuries in the workplace are caused by chemicals, tools, flying objects, radiation, and particles. In many cases, these injuries can be prevented with these tips:

•Use safety classes with side shields in any environment where flying objects, dust, or particles are a risk.

•If working with radiation, fiber optics, lasers, or welding, use the specially-designated helmets and goggles designed for the risk – regular goggles or safety glasses will not work.

•When working with corrosive chemicals, splashing is a risk, so you will want to wear a face shield or safety goggles. This can help prevent not only eye injuries but also burn injuries in your Homestead workplace.

•Always wear safety eyewear when you are in a dangerous site. Even if you are just passing through a higher-risk area, you could sustain an injury if you are not wearing the right gear.

•Choose your safety eyewear carefully. The eyewear should be appropriate for the task or risk and should be comfortable while providing good vision. If the eyewear is so uncomfortable that you end up taking it off and putting it back on again, you may be at greater risk because you might forget to put on your eye gear again when you need it. Shop around until you find something you don’t mind wearing.

•Keep extra safety eyewear on hand. This way, you will always have the appropriate safety eyewear on hand, even if you lose or break one pair of goggles or safety glasses.

•Get eye checkups regularly. Some eye injuries – including eye strain – may not present symptoms right away and a doctor can help you spot any problems early so that you can start treatment.

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