While Missouri business owners are responsible for the safety and health of their employees in the workplace, workers often have to look out for themselves. Many workplace injuries can be prevented by avoiding the most common oversights. By analyzing every on-the-job accident, similar injuries may not occur in the future. Most accident evaluations will likely point to one of the following errors.
Shortcuts are notorious causes of occupational injuries, and they are typically motivated by the desire to get the job done in the shortest possible time. Another leading factor is overconfidence that causes workers to believe they are invincible, while it could make them even more vulnerable. When employees feel that safety precautions are for those who put them in place and choose to disregard them, they might end up in the hospital.
Workers who are mentally distracted by emotions, feelings and thoughts rather than focusing on the dangers of the job may compromise their own safety. Furthermore, when the work area is unsafe because the employer failed to prepare it and address known hazards, the employees may suffer the consequences. Finally, workers might save their own lives if they gather all the relevant information about a job before rushing into it.
The Missouri workers’ compensation insurance system is a no-fault system. This means that even if an employee’s own negligence contributed to his or her workplace injuries, benefits might still be available. With the help of an experienced workers’ compensation attorney, the injured worker can file a benefits claim for coverage of medical expenses and lost wages.
Source: goodmenproject.com, “Workplace Accidents: How To Protect Yourself At Work“, Dr. John DeGarmo, March 7, 2017