The towering heights of shelves and the sheer weight of products and equipment in a warehouse seem like a recipe for disaster. From operating a forklift to handling stacks of boxes, potential hazards beset a warehouse worker’s day. In fact, the National Security Council reveals warehousing as one of the industries at most risk for slips, trips and falls.
If you’re an injured warehouse worker, there are important things you should know to alleviate your worries.
What causes warehouse injuries?
When you suffer from occupational injuries, you may receive benefits from California’s workers’ compensation insurance through your employer. The policy includes medical treatment, lost wages and assistance to help you get back to work. Here are potential reasons that must have caused your injuries:
- Slipping objects stacked on high shelves
- Pallet fragments, accumulated dust, sawdust and other hazardous debris on the floor
- Failure to see an obstruction, such as spilled substances and cluttered stock items, in walkways while carrying heavy goods, using huge machinery or interacting with a co-worker
As a preventive measure, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration devised standards related to walking-working surfaces. One of the provisions requires that employers keep the cleanliness, order and sanitation of passageways, service rooms, store rooms and other surfaces at all times. Further, there should also be regular inspections and repairs to maintain the structural integrity of all floor surfaces used for work.
But sometimes, despite the most thorough precautions, work-related injuries still happen. You may end up with minor cuts and bruises or suffer from severe conditions and disfigurements. Your employer must have a list of approved health care providers to give you the cure and relief within California’s medical treatment guidelines.
Workplace safety first
A sense of urgency is of vital importance in work-related incidents. You must ask for immediate medical attention and document it as you go. You eventually must prove that performing your duties on the job directly caused your injuries. So, you must keep medical records and report the accident to your employer right away. If recovering a workers’ compensation claim cannot resolve your case, you’ll need legal counsel to guide you in filing a lawsuit to seek compensation for your work injury.