Articles Posted in Workers Comp

Workers are at risk of on-the-job injury in all different types of work environments, but especially when they are working in confined spaces. Employers and employees need to understand the proper safety protocols for work in a confined space, and Safety BLR recently published some tips for helping companies to develop confined space policies that could save worker lives or prevent serious injuries from occurring.

If you are an employee who gets hurt while working in a confined space, or if you are otherwise injured on-the-job, you should also make certain you know your legal rights. An Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyer can provide you with representation as you pursue a claim for benefits after a work injury.

You should be entitled to benefits, including payment of medical bills, regardless of whether your employer is negligent or not, so be sure to contact an attorney for help after you are hurt.

Recently, US News & World Report told the sad story of a 21-year-old who worked at the airport and who got hurt on-the-job. The young airport employee was driving a luggage tug, which fell over. As a result of the accident, the worker lost her leg. She made a workers’ compensation claim, which was initially denied. The claim was denied because she was allegedly driving the luggage tug to meet her mother to pick up food at the time of the incident. The workers’ comp insurer said she wasn’t actually working since she was driving to meet her mom, but the workers’ compensation appeals board disagreed, overturned the benefits denial, and awarded her full workers’ comp coverage.

This young woman was not the first to be injured at an airport. Many airport workers do physically demanding work and do work with dangerous equipment and machinery like luggage tugs or other large pieces of equipment like movable tarmac stairs.

Lots of different things can go wrong while airport workers are doing their jobs, and it will be important for any injured worker to understand his or her right to make a work injury claim. An Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyer can provide assistance to victims in pursuing a case for compensation, so call an attorney right away if you work at an airport and need help getting benefits to cover your work-injury costs.

Beginning in January of 2015, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) imposed expanded reporting requirements. Under the new more strict requirements, employers had to report injuries within 24 hours whenever an amputation occurred or whenever a worker lost vision in one or both eyes. Employers also had to report hospitalizations in a timely manner. After the new reporting requirements were in effect for a year, OSHA assembled a report of the injury risks faced by workers across different sectors.

The results of the newly released OSHA report provide a troubling look into some high-risk industries where there is a significant chance of employees getting hurt or killed on-the-job. When an injury or fatality happens in these sectors, or in any profession, an Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyer should be consulted by the injured worker or his family. An experienced attorney can provide invaluable assistance to workers in making sure they get the benefits they need to cover work https://www.vansantlaw.com/practice_areas/atlanta-workers-compensation-attorneys.cfminjury costs.

OSHA Report Shows Atlanta Workplace Injury Risks

Until the late 1970s and early 1980s, lead was a common ingredient in paint, plumbing, and many other household items. Even after the public and experts became more aware of the dangers of lead, the substance continued to be used in various forms. As a result, lead is found in many older buildings and other locations.

Too much exposure to lead can be detrimental to health. While children are at the greatest risk due to lead exposure, adults can also experience catastrophic illness, lasting injury, and even death as a result of elevated levels of lead in the blood.

If you experience lead-related health problems and you believe that your illness is due to exposure on the job, you may be able to obtain workers’ compensation benefits to cover your costs and losses. An Atlanta workplace illness lawyer can provide assistance in making a claim for benefits. Getting legal help is important because proving exposure happened on the job can be complicated.

Each and every worker in the United States deserves a safe place to work. Unfortunately, thousands of workers are hurt or killed annually while they are performing their employment duties. A worker could be hurt no matter what his profession is, but there are certain people who face a far greater risk of getting hurt or killed at work than others. Recently, Business Insider made a list of the 10 most dangerous jobs in American. If your profession is on the list, you should be aware you are in a higher-risk industry and should seek appropriate help if your employer is not following safety rules and regulations.

Workers hurt on-the-job also have legal rights, regardless of whether or not an employer followed safety rules. If you are harmed because of job duties or if your loved one dies while performing work tasks, you should work with an experienced Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyer to obtain financial benefits including disability income and the payment of medical expenditures.

What are the Riskiest Jobs for Atlanta Workers?

Adding to the bad news about the state workers compensation system comes a new report from the Center for Effective Government (CEG). Safety BLR reports that the CEG believes the state-run workers’ compensation systems are “crumblingand are not providing adequate protections to workers who suffer on-the-job injuries.

Workers’ comp benefits are the only option for many people who get hurt on the job. If you suffer an injury related to your work, the Atlanta workers’ comp lawyers at Van Sant Law, LLC can provide advice about your options and can represent you as you try to get the benefits you need.

Problems with the Atlanta Workers’ Compensation System- and Possible Solutions

Georgia workers depend upon their employers to maintain safety in the worksite to reduce the risk of on-the-job injuries. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has set minimum safety standards. OSHA inspectors are supposed to come to workplaces routinely to determine if safety procedures are being followed, but understaffing means this often does not happen. Still, inspections are conducted to identify violators of safety rules, especially when employees complain to OSHA or when reports of workplace injury and illness are made. When OSHA finds violations, the agency can impose fines and penalties upon employers.

Workers should be aware of whether their company has a good safety record, or whether their employer is a repeat violator of safety rules. While you can make an Atlanta workers’ compensation claim regardless of whether your employer is currently violating OSHA rules or has ever violated them in the past, knowing your employee’s safety record is still important. If your employer has a history of problems, you should be more vigilant in making sure that your health is not being put at risk by the employee cutting corners. An Atlanta work injury lawyer can help you if you get hurt on the job and want to make a claim for benefits, and can provide you with advice on what to do when you are endangered by workplace safety issues.

OSHA Publishes Info on Atlanta Workplaces Violating Safety Rules

Many people know that if they get hurt while they are doing work, they can make a claim to get benefits. What workers may not be aware of, however, is that they can also get workers’ compensation coverage if something they are doing at work makes them sick.

There are lots of different causes of workplace injuries in Atlanta, and employees must understand how to pursue a benefits claim if they suffer an illness as a direct result of work tasks. An Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyer can provide assistance to employees who develop an illness thanks to their professional experiences.

What Happens After Workplace Illness in Atlanta?

In 2014, Georgia’s Safe Carry Protection Act went into effect. This law greatly expanded the list of places where licensed gun owners are permitted to legally carry a firearm. This new Act was a further expansion of a 2008 law permitting employees to bring firearms to work and keep them in the company parking lot.

Although the Safe Carry Protection Act greatly broadens gun rights, employers can still prohibit the possession of firearms on their property. Employers can create policies that prevent workers from bringing guns into their specific place of business, although employers cannot do anything to prevent workers from keeping their weapons in their cars.

Georgia is one of 22 states in the U.S. that protect the rights of gun owners to bring their guns to workplace parking lots. Many employers, however, grapple with the question of whether allowing guns inside of a business will reduce or increase workplace violence. An employee who is the victim of violence at work can generally make a workers’ comp claim, and employers should have sensible policies in place to try to prevent acts of aggression at work. Workplace violence victims should consult an Atlanta work accident lawyer for help understanding their rights and pursuing a claim.

Most work injuries are physical. Whether you get sick from toxic exposure, suffer broken bones from a fall, or get carpal tunnel due to repetitive stress, there is some damage to your body for most people who experience on-the-job harm. Those who have physical damage should generally be able to receive workers’ comp benefits with the help of an Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyer. This means that as long as you can prove your physical injury is tied back to your job, you should have medical costs covered and disability benefits paid.

However, there are certain serious work injuries that are much more difficult to get benefits for through workers’ compensation. These injuries are mental or psychological in nature.

Workers’ Compensation Coverage for Mental Injuries