Lots of companies don’t think twice about certain kinds of workplace accidents — but it’s this lack of thinking that comes back to impact the business later. Workplace safety should always be paramount, not just because of ethical reasons, but because it really factors into the bottom line for a business.
Slip, trip and fall incidents and other worker injuries cost companies quite a bit. Such incidents also happen more than many of us may realize. A fact sheet from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) shows that slips, trips and falls are the single biggest category of industrial and worker accidents and the second largest cause of accidental death after motor vehicle accidents. They’re also one of the most frequently reported types of injuries and, in some instances, they can be up to a quarter of all reported workers’ injury claims.
Technical Categories of Accidents
As part of a campaign to minimize workplace accidents, OSHA defines different types of common slip, trip and fall accidents. “Slip” incidents typically involve situations where workers lose balance due to lack of friction on surfaces, or in some cases, other safety accessories. “Trip” accidents happen when individuals lose balance because the lower body encounters some obstacle, or because of uneven surfaces.
“Falls” occur when the center of balance is compromised — OSHA defines different categories of falling involving falls to the same walking or working surface or falls to the surface level below the original level of operation, such as when temporary flooring or some other support structure gives way.
The Cost to the Company
OSHA also defines some of the costs around workplace accidents that are often borne by employers. There’s a loss of productivity as injured workers get back on their feet. There’s the potential for an increase in insurance premiums, where even one claim can generate huge rate hikes. Then there are costs related to training replacements, as well as any costs involving dealing with the worker’s injury complaint itself.
The Cost to Workers
Some of the biggest costs of these construction accidents are paid by workers. When companies feel like workers are “just trying to play the system,” they generally have it backwards. Employees and front-line workers want safety procedures in place so they don’t get injured in the first place. Otherwise they will experience their own set of costs, including lost wages and loss of livelihood, medical bills, reduced quality of life and pain and suffering.
Defending Injury Victims
When personal injury lawyers get involved, they look at all of the physical results of the slip, trip or fall accident to try to define the costs that will confront an injury victim, and they try to evaluate whether any third party responsibility applies, as well as whether the employer or some other party is responsible through negligence or inattention to public safety.
Call Our New York City Trip and Fall Attorneys Today
Workers harmed in a New York City construction or building accident can call the lawyers at Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff & Wolff. Our experienced personal injury attorneys will be by your side to help you bring a workplace injury claim in New York. Ask us about how to get justice after a workplace accident.