Workplace injuries in Florida happen everywhere and are so common that every seven seconds, an employee is getting injured in a workplace accident. When employees are injured while they are working, they have the right to file a claim for worker’s compensation. If you have sustained injuries on the job, you must take all necessary steps to seek the compensation you deserve.
The Types of Workplace Injuries in Florida:
In Florida, in the aftermath of any workplace injury that you may have gone through the first few things you need to do are, seeking medical attention, informing your employer about the incident, and keeping track of all the documentation you would need regarding your injury. However, it is important that you know which injuries are valid for you to file a claim for compensation.
Here are five common workplace injuries in Florida:
1. Repetitive Motion Injuries:
Repetitive motion injury is the most common type of work injury that employees can get compensation for but it is mostly overlooked. This injury happens at the kind of jobs where employees perform the same exact motion every day.
Although these injuries are not instantly noticeable and take years to develop, they can have a greater impact on your well-being. In some cases, the injury gets so serious that the employee is unable to continue performing their work tasks.
Many employees throughout their lives never even realize that their job is developing a repetitive stress or motion injury in them as the symptoms are very subtle. You can only feel a little pain or discomfort which seems unreasonable to mention to your supervisors and managers. What’s worth knowing is that nothing is unreasonable, and every worker should identify and address any part of the job that is disrupting their well-being.
There are many types of repetitive motion injuries but the most common types are, strains, tendinitis, sprains, tennis elbow, bone fractures, and joint tears. Others include back strains and spasms, carpal tunnel syndrome, knee injuries, herniated discs, etc.
2. Overexertion Injuries:
Overexertion injuries are also a common type of injury that employees experience on their job. It can be caused by any act of lifting, tossing, pulling, or pushing a heavy item. Your muscles, tendons, or ligaments might sustain a sudden overexertion injury.
If the exertion becomes a constant part of your job and keeps happening for a long period of time, it may cause you to develop an exertion. It is also noted that exertion can cause blood pressure to increase, and create bigger problems for an individual like cardiac issues. Periodic breaks can help avoid any difficult situation.
You don’t necessarily have to be involved in an extreme task. Even simple ones can cause an injury if the motion isn’t executed properly. Any time an employee kneels, bends, climbs, twists, stands or, reaches, they could sustain an overexertion injury.
3. Falls, Slips, & Trips:
Falls, slips, and trips can happen at any workplace and are one of the common sources of workplace injury. As slight as a slip, trip, or fall injury sounds, it could turn out to be very severe to an extent that it becomes fatal. However, these injuries can be categorized differently based on what the cause was and what was the likelihood of it getting worse than what it is.
Falls can either happen because you lost balance and fell on the ground, or they can also occur from a great height. Most of the impact injuries are a result of falls, which could be bone breakage, bruising, bone fractures, sprains and strains, and contusions.
A slip can occur when the ground is slick or slippery, and someone walks over it unknowingly. However, fewer people regard a slip, and it can result in a serious injury, such as a twisted ankle, knee, or back injury.
A trip happens when a person experiences a sudden hindrance in the form of any object or material is placed in their way and they try to walk past it. It also occurs if a small elevation goes unnoticed and a person trips over it. In a workplace, most of the time an employee trips over things like equipment, debris, loose cables, etc. If a worker falls to the ground as a result of that trip, they might suffer impact-type injuries.
4. Trauma Injuries:
At mining, construction, and manufacturing sites, trauma injuries are the most common type around. These may result in an accident of being hit by an object or if an employee falls from a height. Such injuries leave a long-term impact on the employee and require extensive medical treatment which can cost an ocean.
5. Work-Related Vehicle Accidents:
Employees who are working at jobs where they have to travel all the time for any purpose are most prone to getting involved in accidents. These types of injuries can be very brutal; even fatal in some cases. This is one of the most common ones among workplace injuries in Florida as work-related motor vehicle accidents are really high here.
The laws of workplace injuries in Florida can be really confusing as they are known to be highly complex. If you don’t have much knowledge in this area you might need an attorney to guide you. At Florida Lawyers 360, we have many experienced lawyers who can walk you through the process in no time. Contact us now, and settle with the compensation you deserve.
