During the holiday season, there is demand for seasonal workers in many industries. Landscape companies may hire workers in order to take care of home decorating tasks or to cut and sell Christmas trees. Retail stores and hospitality businesses could hire more workers in order to keep up with customers coming in for holiday shopping and celebrations. Manufacturers may also ramp up production in order to address the holiday shopping frenzy.
These are just a few of many examples of industries where workers are often hired on a temporary basis during this time of year. Unfortunately, as seasonal holiday workers are brought into businesses, an increase in workplace accident risks occurs. These accidents can have devastating consequences that last well beyond the holiday season and which are sometimes permanent. Anyone who is a victim of an accident should reach out to an Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyer for assistance following the incident which caused them to suffer harm.
Seasonal Workers and the Risk of Atlanta Workplace Accidents
When seasonal workers come to do work on a temporary basis, they may not have the experience, training, or professionals skills that full time workers have acquired. As a result of their inexperience and lack of knowledge about business operations, these seasonal workers may be more likely to make errors in the performance of their work tasks. Depending upon the industry and the type of mistake that is made, the error could have catastrophic consequences. The seasonal worker could be hurt, or the problem that his inexperienced inadvertently caused could also result in injury to other workers.
Seasonal workers also do not have the same level of camaraderie and strong personal relationships with co-workers as full-time workers do. Full-time workers may be better able to watch out for each other, issue warnings when problems could arise, and work seamlessly to prevent injuries from happening. As soon as a temp or seasonal worker comes onto the scene, dynamics could change and more injuries could occur because cooperation is not as effective.
Finally, seasonal workers may lack training in the safety protocols and processes necessary to do work the right way. Many employers choose to provide a very short on boarding process for temp workers and they don’t want to waste a lot of time doing intensive training for someone who is going to be working for the company only briefly. Unfortunately, without full training on job tasks, workplace safety issues, and efforts to prevent on-the-job injuries, temp workers may not have the knowledge or investment in the business that is necessary to make the worksite as safe as possible.
Seasonal workers can also face more complications in making workers’ compensation claims, depending upon whether they are considered contract workers and depending upon who exactly is employing them. Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyers can provide assistance in both simple and complex work injury claims.
Have You Been Injured On The Job?
If you’ve been injured at work you need to speak with an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer as soon as possible. Contact us online or call our office directly at (800) 234-9556 to schedule your free consultation.