Do you work in a warehouse? Then you likely know that warehouses can be dangerous places to work, despite how well-paying they might be.
But, you should know that, in a workplace accident, you might be eligible for workers’ compensation. Employees who are eligible for workers’ compensation may be given medical benefits and treatment, rehabilitation and death benefits and be paid for their lost time.
While not all accidents are eligible for workers’ comp, the following are a few that might:
Improper forklift operation
As you may know, forklifts are dangerous pieces of machinery. As such, they often require a lot of knowledge, training and experience before someone can properly and safely maneuver one. Whether you’re operating a forklift or suffering an injury from a forklift operator, a driver could cause serious accidents without the right expertise.
For starters, a forklift is a kind of vehicle, which means it can cause many injuries that would be seen in a motor vehicle accident. For example, a driver could experience a concussion, whiplash or head injuries if there’s a collision with another driver.
Additionally, the most dangerous part of the machine may be its prongs. While useful for lifting and transporting shipments, they’re also often very sharp. In an accident, if the prongs aren’t correctly positioned, then someone could be impaled or suffer from a severed limb.
Hazardous chemicals
A large portion of transported goods hold some kind of chemicals, which should be labeled on trucks and supplied. If these shipments are damaged, which could happen during transportation or while being handled by workers, then workers could be exposed to hazardous chemicals.
Chemical exposure can be extremely dangerous. If a worker experiences chemical exposure on their skin, then they could suffer from rashes and burns. Or, if inhaled, chemical exposure could cause medical issues and long-term respiratory issues.
When filing a workers’ comp claim, you may need to be aware of your legal rights.