The workplace should be a place to develop a career and build lasting friendships and camaraderie. For too many Miami employees, however, the workplace is a dangerous place. Each year, workers are seriously injured in Miami slip and fall accidents, car accidents and other workplace accidents. Unfortunately, many workplace injury victims also have a difficult time getting the compensation and support they need after their accident.
While workplaces have implemented many safety rules and regulations to keep workers safe, some statistics show that certain workplaces are not getting safer. For those who work on farms, for example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that fatal farm accidents have increased by 15% in the past two years alone. In 2009, 127 people were killed in farm accidents while in 2010 156 people were killed in farm accidents. Many other workplaces do not have better accident statistics.
There are many possible reasons why workplace accidents still occur with such frequency. One is that employees today switch jobs and even careers more often. In workplaces where there is a high turnover, there also tends to be a higher instance of injuries, in part because employees do not develop the familiarity with the workplace – and the potential hazards of the workplace. Another issue has to do with employer and employee compliance. While there are rules in place about worker safety, not all employers follow the rules and correctly train new employees about safety measures. Not all employees follow the safety policies, either.
Some workplace injuries may also be the product of our multitasking lives. As people work longer hours and try to jam more work and tasks into the day, many employees end up trying to do multiple things at once. In many jobs, however, distraction can lead to catastrophic accidents. Truck drivers who try to check their voice mail or text messages in their workplace on the road, for example, are likely to eventually cause Miami truck accidents.
When workers are injured in Miami workplace accidents, their journey is often only beginning. Many workers find that while Miami workers compensation laws are intended to protect them and ensure that they get speedy compensation for injuries, in many cases this does not happen. Due in part to concerns about insurance fraud, many insurance carriers are looking over Miami workers compensation claims carefully and in some cases legitimately injured workers have difficulty getting the compensation they deserve. Many injured workers need to turn to Miami personal injury attorneys in order to get the assistance and compensation they need.
Now that summer is almost here, it is time to get serious about workplace safety. With seasonal workers and teen employees joining the ranks of summer employment, now is the time for employers to set up training sessions about safety for new and existing employees. This is also a good time to review safety procedures at work and to frankly discuss any possible workplace hazards in your workplace. Everyone has a role to play in preventing workplace accidents in Miami.
If you have been injured in the workplace, contact the Flaxman Law Group to discuss your case and your options with a Miami personal injury attorney. Your initial consultation is free and comes with no obligation.