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• Worker's Compensation

Fall Accidents Cause Serious Work Injuries

Every year thousands of Florida workers get injured from falling at their jobs. Most of these victims suffer from injuries that occur from two types of falls, same level falls or elevated falls.

Same level falls occur more frequently and are typically less severe. These accidents occur as employees slip on fluid spills, resulting in a fall. Another example of a work-related injury that occurs frequently, is when someone strikes an object on the floor, resulting in tripping and falling.

Elevated falls are more severe and occur when an employee falls from a ladder, vehicle, or other equipment. Most of these falls happen from heights of less than 10 feet high, but can create severe injuries.

When it comes to fall accidents at work, the back is the most frequently injured area of the body. The joints - elbow, wrists, knees, shoulders, hip, and ankles - are the other areas of the body that are often injured from falling. Most of these accidents result in sprains, strains, bruises, and contusions. However, serious work accidents have been known to lead to broken bones, paralysis, and even death.

To prevent fall accidents from happening at work, employees should wear the correct shoes for the type of jobs they do, watch where they are going, be patient, and walk at safe speeds. The work area should be clean, safe, and free of obstacles or fluids on the floor. Adequate lighting is essential in order to see where one is walking. Moving from dark to light areas could cause vision difficulties that may result in a fall accident.

If something is spilled on the floor, it should be cleaned up immediately. If it cannot be removed, safety signs should be put up or caution tape should be used to rope off the area to traffic.

To help prevent elevated falls, only American National Standards Institute approved ladders should be used on a jobsite. Ladders should be inspected for cracks or loose rungs before use. Metal ladders should not be used if working around electricity. A ladder should be long enough so the top two steps will not be used for the feet, and the ladder could be tied to the structure in order to prevent the ladder from slipping or sliding.

It is recommended that workers in high elevations should wear some sort of fall protective gear. This gear could be a safety belt, harness, lanyard, lifeline, or many other safety devices. The safety gear should provide protection without restricting one’s work.

If you have been injured on the job and would like to speak with an experienced Orlando workers’ compensation attorney, call The Francis Law Group at (888) 521-2721 for legal advice.