Los Angeles workers are exposed to the most common workplace injuries and accidents. The worst part is that some employers seem unaware of these risks and do not take adequate measures to avoid them.
If you suffered an injury at your company and need to get compensation from California workers, we can help you. Los Angeles workers compensation lawyers of Lluis Law are specialists in all types of work injuries. We have over 40 years of experience represented and winning cases like yours.
The most common workplace injuries are events that can occur at any time and in any type of employment. They do not necessarily occur in buildings under construction or in manufacturing factories, accidents also occur in offices and stores.
After an accident at work, the worker needs to receive compensation for medical treatment and to cover the expenses incurred. When that happens, workers’ compensation lawyers in California are the key to a successful claim.
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What are the most common workplace injuries in 2024?
There are different types of injuries that a worker may experience at his workplace. Here are some of the most common:
1. Traumatic injuries
Injuries are among the most common injuries in people’s lives but also in workplaces. There are certain jobs more prone than others to occupational accidents, so they have a higher incidence of injuries. Examples of these are the construction industry, mining and manufacturing factories.
Trauma injuries are caused by heavy object blows that fall from the heights and hit the worker. Some of the most common workplace injuries are usually serious and can sometimes be disabling. Treatment usually requires expensive exams, surgeries, medicines and long periods of rehabilitation for the worker.
2. Repetitive movement injuries
Repetitive movements also cause very serious long-term injuries to workers. These injuries are very frequent in office workers and employees who need to work long hours with their hands executing an activity.
Manufacturing workers, cleaning workers and artisans are also exposed to this type of injury.
Operating a machinery or performing repetitive tasks over and over again causes joint wear. Gradually the muscles and bones deteriorate to the point of causing professional and irreversible diseases.
A typical disease of repetitive work is carpal tunnel syndrome. It causes a lot of pain and weakness in the person and its cure requires a long period of rehabilitation therapy.
Compensation for these most common workplace injuries are sometimes disputed by insurance companies. So if insurance refuses to grant workers compensation benefits in California, do not hesitate to call us at (213) 687-4412.
3. Injuries in traffic accidents
Drivers of transport vehicles (i.e. trucks, buses, taxi drivers) are other candidates for injury at some point in their working life. The injuries left by traffic accidents can also be serious and disabling. Their treatment necessarily requires obtaining compensation from the employer or the responsible person.
In our section “Common car accident injuries” you can read general information about all types of car injuries.
4. Injuries caused by the use of machinery and equipment
These injuries are quite frequent in the manufacturing industry and in the construction sector. The injuries caused by these accidents that occur in the workplace are: cuts, lacerations and broken bones. Other more serious can be amputations in any part of the body.
Injuries from the use of machinery and equipment are generally serious and painful. Some of them may leave the worker incapacitated or cause death.
5. Slip and fall injuries
Slips and falls are not exclusive work accidents because anyone can suffer them anywhere. However, they are among the causes of many worker injuries. When floors and stairs do not have adequate and daily maintenance in companies tend to cause such accidents.
There are different slip and fall injuries: head injuries, spinal injuries and back injuries. Similarly, broken bones (i.e. legs, arms, hands), sprains.
The responsibility for these accidents may be of employers and owners of premises that do not properly maintain their work places. These accidents include falls from heights of construction workers and window cleaners.
Among all the types of occupational injuries that you can suffer this is one of the most common and recurrent.
In our section on slip and fall lawyers in Los Angeles you will find a lot of information on the topic.
In Lluis Law we are experts in recovering damages from work injuries and compensation for accidents.
6. Cuts and lacerations
These injuries are some of the most common in the workplace. Any equipment and sharp office equipment can cause a painful cut to the worker. In companies that use electric saws such as refrigerators and sawmills, workers are likely to suffer these injuries.
The most common causes of these accidents and injuries are due to poor training, lack of adequate safety protocols. Likewise, not using appropriate protective equipment increases the risk of cuts and lacerations.
Employers are required to train their employees in safe work routines. They must also ensure that they have safety equipment and apply correct procedures.
7. Overexertion
Working excessively until exhaustion every day can lead to severe injuries and even death. Excessive effort is considered one of the main causes of workers’ injuries.
Carrying weights constantly as well as lifting, pushing or pulling very heavy equipment or objects causes long-term injuries.
The most frequent injuries due to overexertion are sprains and strains. Also musculoskeletal disorders in the back. Similarly, excessive intellectual work leads to extreme exhaustion of the person. Then, after a while it can cause a serious illness.
8. Inhalation of toxic gases
Workers in the chemical industry (oil, perfumery, pharmaceutical) may be at risk of suffering these accidents and injuries. Warehouse workers with chemical deposits (diluents, reagents and more.) may also suffer skin and eye reactions.
In addition to these reactions, toxic gases can also cause asthma, dermatitis and poisoning. To avoid these injuries it is necessary to wear masks, gloves, glasses and appropriate clothing and other industrial protective equipment.
Employers are obliged to provide these implements and equipment to their workers. When they do not, they can be sanctioned by the Office of the Labor Commissioner of California.
9. Exposure to loud noises
The decrease in the ability to listen caused by certain jobs is more frequent than we think. Deafness is caused by permanent exposure to noise in airports, industrial plants, discos, bars and other places.
Strong and permanent noises can lead to progressive hearing loss. If safety measures are not implemented and adequate protective equipment is not used, the result is permanent deafness.
10. Fights at work
Workplace quarrels are another cause of work injuries. Clashes between workers due to differences in criteria or any other reason generate very dangerous injuries. Such personal injuries range from slips and falls, to broken bones, open and bleeding wounds and even death.
Other causes of accidents are deposits of flammable substances (gas, gasoline, diesel and so on) that can cause burn injuries to workers.
Lluis Law’s Los Angeles injury lawyers are constantly representing injury victims as listed above. We have worked on cases with the most common workplace injuries so do not hesitate to contact us so we can help you.
What is the number one cause of workplace injuries?
There are many factors involved when assessing why different types of injuries and accidents occur. However, recklessness and negligence of workers and employers is the main one.
Employers are required to implement work procedures as safe as possible for the worker. While the worker is in the duty to comply with the company’s safety regulations and perform tasks with common sense.
The best way to control a hazard is to eliminate it, although there are certain jobs that are dangerous by nature. However, greater control over risks must be sought to reduce the danger of accidents.
Risk factors for accidents and injuries
The United States Department of Industrial Relations identifies four basic areas as causes of accidents:
Type of procedures and tasks. It includes the physical and mental effort of workers in a task, the pace of work and the workload. Another factor is the lack of clear and realistic procedures to execute the tasks. The lack of emergency protocols in companies and the conflicts that arise between labor policy and practice
Work environment. It includes the set of equipment, tools and materials used by the workers, including their design, selection and maintenance. It also covers work areas, distribution of work space, air quality, noise, lighting and temperature.
Management and organization. The company must have a security program and must promote the safety culture. To do this, you must assign a budget to the area of security and responsibility and invest in communication and reporting systems. In addition, perform regular inspection and maintenance work, provide equipment personnel and improve work schedules.
Workforce factors. This includes the work experience of the worker, his training, stress, fatigue, his attitude and perception of risk. A well-trained worker for a task is less likely to suffer an accident than one who is not.
What is a work injury?
An injury is any alteration or physical damage to any part of the body as a result of a stroke or illness. It is considered as a work injury, that specific damage or occupational disease related to the work performed by the worker. It is called specific because it is the result of a single accident that occurred in the workplace.
It can also be a long-term physical or mental injury progressively developed by the worker. But it must always be related to the usual tasks performed by the employee.
What is considered a work accident?
It is a sudden fact that occurs within the company and affects the worker while performing a task. It is also considered an accident at work any accident suffered by the worker outside the company during the execution of a task entrusted.
The condition to be recognized as an accident at work, is that the injury suffered by the worker is on occasion or as a result of a task that is performed for another person.
What are good examples of workplace accidents in 2024?
The types of work injuries are associated with the work performed. Among the common jobs with the highest incidence of accidents with injuries are:
Construction accidents
- Falls from heights. These accidents are quite frequent and occur when working from windows, scaffolding, roofs, stairs and cranes. It includes slips and falls and trips with objects left on the road. Also the wounds with sharp puncture objects like nails left on the floor.
- Electrocutions High voltage cables and other unprotected electrical installations constitute a serious risk of electrocution for workers. The slightest contact with energized lines or objects can cause serious and even death by electrocution.
- Objects that fall. Workers who perform tasks on scaffolding in buildings and stairs are exposed to being hit by falling objects. Tools, debris and other objects when falling can cause serious injuries to workers.
Ideally, work under scaffolding with a roof and a protective helmet to avoid injuries. Being hit by a falling object can cause spinal fracture, head trauma and multiple injuries to arms and legs.
- Get trapped. Heavy machinery and vehicles on construction sites are dangerous if precautions are not taken. In some accidents involving cranes, dump trucks, tracked machines or backhoes, workers are trapped. When one of these vehicles is overturned, the worker can be crushed or suffer an amputation.
Electrocution / burn accidents
Workers who repair power lines or install high-voltage equipment can be injured by electrocution. Receiving an electric shock causes burns, cardiac arrest, damage to muscles, nerves and tissues. In many cases electrocution accidents are fatal.
Machine failure accidents
Many accidents are caused by faulty equipment and tools. For example, compressors, motors, hydraulic hoses, conveyor belts. Like nail guns, table saws and drills.
Manufacturing accidents
In manufacturing factories, accidents usually occur with some regularity despite prevention measures. Workers of assembly lines in an industrial plant develop repetitive strain injuries.
Such injuries affect arms, hands, legs and the hip depending on the task. Other times these are instantaneous accidents in which the worker suffers cuts and lacerations or blows due to carelessness.
Office accidents
Some of the most common injuries suffered by office workers are from repetitive movements. For example, rotator cuff syndrome or carpal tunnel syndrome
Other common injuries in office accidents are:
- Slips and falls, trips.
- Continuous or cumulative trauma.
- Spinal injuries (herniated discs, neck injuries, back pain).
- Stress and other psychological diseases.
Car accidents
Employees who work as drivers in transport companies or any other type of company can suffer traffic accidents. Car accidents involving trucks and buses are usually catastrophic.
Check our section “Car Accident Lawyers in Los Angeles” for more information and assistance on car accidents.
Gardening accidents
Although they seem minor accidents they can actually become very serious. Sometimes gardeners can suffer serious injuries. For example: punctures, deep cuts, eye injuries, bumps and falls.
Also there is a risk due to exposure to certain toxic chemicals (herbicides, weed killers), electrocution, cervical lesions and tendonitis.
What are the most common accidents and injuries of medical workers?
Among the 18 million workers in the health sector in the United States, these are some of the most common diseases. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 80% of the staff are women.
These workers have a poorly high rate of occupational diseases than other employees in any other industrial sector. The most frequent injuries among health workers in the United States are:
- Overexertion / repetitive stress.
- Management activities of patients that cause muscle damage (manual lifting for example). This can cause sprains, muscle strains and spinal damage.
- Punctures and punctures with needles or wounds with other sharp instruments. Including the risk of contagion of diseases and infections (HIV / AIDS, hepatitis B or C, coronavirus).
- Physical and verbal violence by aggressive patients and criminals.
- Slips and falls on wet floors that cause bone fractures.
- Stress and other psychological illnesses due to lack of personnel, prolonged guards and emergency care.
What to do to increase control of accidents and injuries?
There are simple measures that can be taken in addition to the company’s prevention policies to prevent occupational accidents. Some of them can be:
- Meet regularly with staff to reiterate the importance of accident and injury control.
- Place notices with tips that highlight what to do to prevent accidents. For example: avoid approaching areas with high voltage cables, deposits of flammable or toxic substances. Use of caution signs “Do not touch”, “Wet floor”, and others.
- Provide people with safety equipment to do their job and make sure they are used correctly.
- Prepare (if you don’t have it already) information on how to act in case of an industrial accident.
The control and prevention of occupational accidents can be achieved with a methodical industrial safety policy in the company. The best way to protect workers is to force them to comply with the standards of the Office of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) .
On the other hand, personnel should be sufficiently trained on the tasks they carry out daily to carry them out safely. Otherwise, the employer incurs faults that can be sanctioned by OSHA.
Now you know a little more about the most common workplace injuries. If you or a loved one was injured at work, you have the right to file a claim and receive workers’ compensation.
The benefits of hiring a lawyer are really interesting if you consider what you can get in return. The best thing is that the worker does not pay anything initially or if we don’t win the case. Calling us for a free consultation is 100% confidential and you have nothing to lose and a lot to win.
