Preventing Slip-and-Fall Accidents

Falls are considered one of the most common incidents resulting in injury that can occur at a workplace. Tripping, falling from a ladder, slipping from an elevation or slipping on liquid at the workplace are all examples of possible fall scenarios. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most common environments that lend themselves to a fall are those that are slippery, cluttered, damaged or uneven.
Slip-and-Fall Injuries
According to the 2009 Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 600 workers were killed and about 212,000 were injured in workplace falls. According to the CDC, more than 17,000 people die each year as a result of slip-and-fall injuries or trip-and-fall injuries. Slip-and-fall injuries have the potential to be serious and life changing. About one third of those who suffer slip-and-fall accidents suffer injuries such as broken bones, bruises and head injuries.
Prevention is Key
Although there are federal rules in place to protect workers from falls, an unsafe work environment or an employee not following proper safety procedures can lead to an accident. The CDC reports that there are ways to reduce the fall rate at the workplace and better ensure the safety of all employees. Reducing the number of these accidents at the workplace requires action on the part of the employee and the employer. Employees should learn and always practice safety standards, which can include wearing certain protective gear such as anti-slip shoes. Employers must also make sure they have proper safety guidelines in place and that they are constantly surveying the workplace to make sure that it is up to safety standards. Even if an employee is doing his or her part in being safe at the workplace, risks can still exist and injuries can still happen.
Herniated discs, traumatic head injuries, broken bones and internal bleeding are examples of some of the injuries suffered by slip-and-fall victims. Some of the damages that victims of such accidents can claim include, but are not limited to, medical expenses, loss of wages and benefits, cost of hospitalization, surgery, physical therapy, past and future pain and suffering, permanent injury damages, etc.
Contacting an Injury Lawyer
If you or a loved one suffered injuries because of a slip-and-fall accident, the experienced New York personal injury lawyers with the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options. Our law firm recovered $1,700,000 for a woman who slipped and fell and received no hospital or medical treatment for one month after the accident. Please call our offices 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496) to discuss your slip-and-fall case or trip-and-fall injury or accident case. We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: CDC