The new OSHA regulations may prevent as many as 5,000 slip and fall injuries each year in the U.S.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a government agency that is dedicated to ensuring that working conditions are safe for employees. New guidelines were recently released to target the common causes that can lead to slip and fall injuries. The hope is that the new rules and regulations can prevent as many as 5,000 slip and fall injuries across the United States every year.
OSHA’s New Rules
It isn’t that OSHA doesn’t already have rules and regulations in place to make workplaces safer so that employees don’t get injured. It is just that without enough resources, not many employers even have the knowledge of what the guidelines are, much less the expertise to ensure that those rules are being followed. OHSA’s new guidelines mandate that any general industry have more safety requirements that follow along with the stringent ones that the construction industry is required to hold. It also mandates that other industries be monitored and inspected in the same manner as the construction industry.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health found that the most common slip and fall injuries revolve around unsafe ladders, holes in the floor or walls, and slippery or cluttered walking spaces. Although these conditions exist across every business industry in America, it is now the duty of every employer to maintain a safer workplace for their employees. Estimates are that as many as 115 million employees will have a decreased risk of slipping and falling thanks to the new guidelines and workplace inspections.
The Most Common Types of Slip and Fall Injuries
Workers’ compensation claims for slip and fall injuries can vary widely in severity and type. The most common types of injuries are those that affect the forearm, ankle, hip, spine, pelvis, upper arm and hand. There can also be significant head injuries from a fall that can have life-altering consequences. Statistics show that the most common injuries resulted in an average of 11 days lost per incident, which can be a huge financial burden on any business or industry.
If you are injured while on the job, you must prove that your injury happened while you were engaged in work-related activities, which is not always easy to do. That is why it is imperative that you seek the assistance of a St. Louis workers’ compensation lawyer to guide you through the complexity of proving your case and getting all that you are entitled to.
If you find that your employer is not complying with new OSHA guidelines, then you can call to have your workplace inspected without fear of reprisal. Employees can call in and make an anonymous claim, and your employer is legally not allowed to retaliate against you. If you are injured and you can prove it was due to your employer disregarding the new OSHA guidelines, then their failure to comply might just be the ticket to being able to prove your slip and fall injury and make a workers’ compensation claim.
St. Louis Work Injury Attorney
If you have suffered an injury at work, a Missouri workers compensation lawyer from The Law Office of James M. Hoffmann can help you. We are committed to providing the best legal representation, giving your case the priority and attention that it deserves. We act with the strongest integrity on your behalf and negotiate aggressively to extort the benefits that you deserve as an employee.
Call us today at (314) 361-4300 or fill out our online case evaluation form to request a FREE consultation.