Tag: Accident

Work Accident Lawyers near me when you get any Common Warehouse Injuries in Florida, also other cities. As more and more Americans select to buy goods online, increasing numbers of Americans choose to purchase goods online, vendors have built many warehouse facilities near primary shipping routes to cater to these clients. Nearly 350,000 Americans worked in warehousing and storage facilities in 2012. This figure has increased to 1.18 million people as of March 2019 according to the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics). The majority of these workers employe as forklift truck and tractor operators, laborers, and material and freight stock movers and handlers. By 2026, this figure project to grow by 8%.

Here is the article to explain, Work Accident Lawyers near me for Common Warehouse Injuries in Florida!

The number of workers injured in work related accident is increasing proportionately. How much do work accident lawyers charge near me? The statistics released by BLS show that working in warehouses is dangerous for workers.

ARE JOBS IN WAREHOUSES DANGEROUS?

According to statistics from the BLS they can be:

There were 22 fatalities at US warehouses and storage facilities as of 2017, the latest year for which injury related to warehouse statistics are available.

In 2016, the recorded cases of nonfatal injuries and illnesses were 5.1 for every 100 full-time employees, which is much higher than the average of 3.2 per 100 full-time employees for all industries.

Production days were severely impacted by this above-average rate of injury. Work-related injuries including missing workdays, working with job transfers, or restrictions was 3.7 per 100 full-time employees at warehouses and storage facilities, which is higher than 1.7% for the same number of employees for all industries.

• The top five injuries in warehouses occur are due to manual lifting and handling, material storage, conveyor belts, forklifts, and loading docks.
• For storage facility and warehouse workers the number of cases involving DAFW (days away from work) increased by almost 3,000 between 2016 and 2017. 2017 alone accounted for 17,390 cases.
• Cases due to overexertion increased by 1,352 to 8,310 in 2017. Contact with objects and equipment rose by 620 cases to 4,370, and falls, trips, or slips cases rose by 480 to 3,030.
• Warehouse workers involved in material moving or transportation in 2017 incurred 12,750 DAFW cases… an increase of more than 3,100 cases from 2016.

WAREHOUSE INJURY TYPES

Injuries in warehouses can occur in a variety of ways.

FORKLIFT;

A forklift consists of a small industrial truck that storage facility or warehouse owners use to lower or raise objects like pallets or to remove or move needed goods. Depending upon the type of forklift being used, they can control by operators who walk beside them or ride them. Accidents by forklift are a common mishap in storage and warehouse facilities and amongst the leading causes of warehouse deaths and injuries. These accidents cause by both novice and experienced operators.

According to NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) accidents involving forklifts are due to the environment of the workplace, the actions of the operator, and the forklift itself. Accidents involving forklifts can happen when they crush workers when they overturn or drop heavy goods and pallets during unloading and loading. Warehouse workers can fall off a forklift elevated pallet, fall between the rail and forklift on a loading dock, or even be run over by forklifts.

A couple of stats regarding forklift accidents include:

• Between accidents in warehouse and those that occur in factories using forklifts, these trucks are responsible for nearly 85 deaths every year.
• While the number of forklift accidents might be less the injuries they cause are more severe than other kinds of warehouse accidents. They cause approximately 35,000 accidents resulting in serious injuries per annum.
• The number of less severe injuries caused by forklift accidents per year is approximately 62,000.
• Overturning forklifts are responsible for 25% of all forklift accidents per annum.

OVEREXERTION;

One of the major causes of injuries at storage facilities and warehouses is overexertion, caused by overstressing the body. It limits the movements of the injured workers due to chronic pain. They occur due to doing tasks like carrying or lowering, pulling, and lifting and they generally affect the shoulders and back but can also affect knees, wrists, or arms. Workers spend lots of time each workday, working in uncomfortable and awkward positions. The BLS recorded over 8,000 overexertion injuries in 2017.

Overexertion also causes injuries like:

• Muscle strains.
• Neck injuries.
• Tendon injuries.
• Tears and sprains of muscle tissue.
• Injuries to legs and arms joints.
• Also, Connective tissue injuries.
• Nerve injuries, and.
• Heart attacks.

Not training the workers how to carry or lift heavy objects, or asking them to complete tasks beyond their physical capabilities often causes overexertion injuries.

LOADING DOCK;

Amongst the most hazardous places for employees working in storage facilities or warehouses is loading docks. According to OSHA loading docks are responsible for one-fourth of all accidents taking place in a warehouse. Also, According to estimates, there are 600 near misses for every accident.

Workers can crush between trailers and forklifts when unloading or loading goods. The average height of docks is 44 to 48 inches. It implies a fall almost always results in a serious injury. Workers can injure themselves while attempting to unload or load heavy materials from the truck to the dock and vice versa. Those working for long periods near a truck that has its engine running can suffer from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Accidents that involve the loading dock include when a forklift operator or worker is leaving or entering the truck, trucks shifting or pulling away suddenly, falling objects striking a worker or forklifts that run off the dock.

HIT BY SOMETHING

Storage facilities and warehouses contain lots of moving parts such as intensive motion around loading docks, forklifts zooming around, workers constantly moving or lifting heavy objects such as pallets full of goods.

Workers, apart from the danger of being hit with something like a forklift, have to face the danger of objects stored high on pallets shifting and falling on them. In fact “high stacking” is often the cause of severe injuries.

Human error, improper work areas, unsafe working conditions, and carelessness often cause injuries to workers by falling on them. Such impacts cause shoulder injuries like rotor cuff tear, concussions, back injuries that include lumbar disc herniations, or neck injuries.

CAUGHT BETWEEN;

According to reports by OSHA, workers in warehouses are caught between equipment pieces. They can be trapped between a forklift and a storage unit. Caught between accidents need not involve the entire body of the worker. Such accidents often take place when the worker attempts to lift goods that need the use of equipment. It results in fingers or hands being smashed between heavy objects. Also, Other similar accidents include equipment rollovers in which the forklift falls over an unguarded machine part or onto an employee. Do you need work accident lawyers when you get Warehouse Injuries? Caught between leads to injuries like:

• Bruising.
• Amputations.
• Tissue damage.
• Muscle tears, sprains, and strains.
• Fractures.
• Neck injuries.
• Lacerations.
• Spinal cord injuries.
• Internal organ damage.
• Also, Scalping.
• Paralysis, and.
• Traumatic Brain Injuries.

SLIPS AND TRIPS;

Such injuries are not as common as overexertion injuries in warehouses, but they do happen quite frequently. The BLS recorded more than 3,000 cases in 2017.

Common reasons for slips and trips include:

• Inadequate lighting in poorly lit work areas, stairs or hallways.
• Slippery materials like oils, powders, snow, ice, water, or granular solids.
• Clutter on the floor or stairs in the workspace.
• Slippery surfaces such as smooth patent metal or concrete, polished tile or stone.
• Exposed or loose cables, cords, or wires.
• The kind of surface on which the employee needs to work or inappropriate footwear for the workplace.
• Also, Loose rugs or mats or wrinkled carpeting.
• Unseen or unexpected platforms, thresholds or steps, and.
• Uneven walking surfaces.

FALLS;

Falls in the warehouse takes place due to trips and slips and are the root cause of many accidents. Also, Falls is different from trips or slips. They can take place on the same level or an elevated level. Falls from ladders are dangerous as well when an employee on a ladder might not notice by another worker, coming around the corner pulling a pallet carrier or operating a forklift. Workers elevated on a forklift and trying to reach material stored on higher shelves is another common cause of falls in warehouses. Too often workers try to keep one leg on the shelf and the other on the forklift to move the material. Also, This can result in a dangerous fall if not done carefully or if the worker is inexperienced.

TRUCK ACCIDENTS;

Operators of warehouses have contracts with trucking companies to move their goods around the country. Trucking accidents can occur in loading docks or parking even if a warehouse operator has a fleet of trucks. Moving materials in and out of the trucks can injure workers. Trucks separate from the loading dock when they occasionally shift, leaving a space in which workers can fall in between or trip. Many truck drivers experience fatigue that affects their awareness and attention as they are backing into loading bays. Workers in loading areas might injure due to this.

Forklift operators face problems when working around trucks as they move heavy consignments in and out of trucks on loading bays. Ask Work accident lawyers when you get truck accidents or injuries? A careless moment or shifting truck can send a forklift off the edge of a loading dock.

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS;

Employees of distribution or production centers that receive shipments of hazardous or volatile materials such as flammable liquids or radioactive materials have to be constantly aware of spill possibilities. Even small spills can prove dangerous for their safety. Hazardous materials can produce damaging physical effects like organ damage, cancer, convulsions and burns, acute health effects, fire, and unexpected pressure release.