Accidents that happen in the workplace take countless forms, whether they involve poor weather conditions, exposure to toxic chemicals, dangerous equipment or slip-and-fall incidents that occur indoors. Sometimes, other workers are responsible for these accidents, which can be very upsetting for victims and their family members. Worse, some people may be involved in work-related accidents because of a bitter co-worker who may have taken steps to jeopardize someone that they do not like or failed to look out for their fellow worker’s well-being.
Whether two workers are involved in a dispute over a certain issue, such as pay or the job duties that each is responsible for, or someone simply does not like their co-worker for one reason or another, there is no excuse for inappropriate behavior that leads to a workplace accident. Various actions can increase the chances of something going wrong, and many workplace incidents have been caused by the negligence of other staff members. For example, a worker may fail to inform one of their co-workers of a serious hazard that they know about, or they may take steps to intentionally create problems that threaten a co-worker’s safety.
If you were injured in an on the job accident that one of your co-workers was responsible for, you may be very angry. However, you should channel this energy into focusing on your recovery, and various legal options may be able to help. For example, you could pursue workers’ comp benefits and it may be necessary to think about legal action against a fellow worker who was responsible for the accident.