Authorities say a significant percentage of workers suffer workplace injuries attributable to their own fault. Fortunately, the California workers’ compensation insurance program is a no-fault system that pays benefits regardless of who caused a work-related accident. Benefits claims data shows there are some contributing factors that lead to many preventable work injuries.
Neglected housekeeping leads to slips, trips, and falls that cause sprains, strains, lacerations, and other more severe injuries such as traumatic brain injuries. Distractions also contribute, and they can be caused by noise and clutter in the work area, or personal issues could cause mental distractions that often lead to the loss of focus on the job. Workers with many years of experience in particular jobs often become complacent. This could lead to taking shortcuts that increase the risks of workplace injuries.
The failure to start a job without proper preplanning can jeopardize the health and safety of workers on many levels. While it is crucial to plan every step of a new job, failure to plan for familiar projects can leave a worker without the necessary equipment, materials, tools, and other requirements to complete the task safely. Finally yet importantly comes safety training, which is crucial even for workers who have heard it all. Refresher training can mitigate complacency.
No one wants to suffer preventable workplace injuries that send them to the hospital and leave them with mounting medical bills and lost wages. California workers might find comfort in the knowledge that the state-regulated workers’ compensation program will provide financial assistance. However, it might be a good idea to obtain legal counsel to make sure that all the deadlines of the benefits filing process are met to improve the chances of receiving all the applicable benefits.