Workplace injuries happen daily in California, from slips and falls to broken bones and even fatalities. Eason & Tambornini attorneys have handled cases arising from workplace injuries for over 25 years. From the heavy construction industry to jobs that require repetitive tasks over extended periods, workplace injuries are not going away.
By The Numbers
The Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) reports that in 2021, over 460 people suffered fatal injuries at work. Thousands more per year file claims for workers’ compensation injuries or illnesses.
Workplace injuries vary widely and depend on many factors, including the type of work being performed, environment, shelter (or lack of), and industry or job type. Moreover, some industries have concentrations of certain types of injuries due to the nature of the work itself.
Common Workplace Injuries
All these injuries, in addition to happening in the workplace, can significantly limit someone’s ability to perform everyday job-related tasks or even result in permanent disability. Workers’ compensation claims resulting from workplace injuries can get complicated quickly. Therefore, having a competent workers’ compensation attorney by your side is important for the entire process.
The following list describes the 14 most common workplace injuries occurring across injuries in California and just a few examples of their causes.
- Sprains and strains: Resulting from overexertion, lifting heavy objects, instability, or repetitive tasks.
- Back injuries: From lifting incorrectly to poor posture, including sitting for prolonged periods in a detrimental position, back injuries are found in almost any industry.
- Cuts and lacerations: Sharp instruments and tools and working with machinery with sharp edges are common causes.
- Slips, trips, and falls: Wet, uneven, rough walking surfaces and poor lighting contribute to these common workplace injuries.
- Bruises: Caused by part of a person’s body coming in contact with heavy objects, machinery, or collisions.
- Fractures and broken bones: Falling, slipping, getting hit by a heavy object, or just falling leads to fractures and broken bones throughout the body.
- Head injuries: Falling, coming into contact with a heavy or fast-moving object, including vehicles, causes head injuries, sometimes resulting in severe brain trauma.
- Burns: Fire, hot surfaces, or chemical burns are common in specific workplaces, especially manufacturing and emergency services like firefighting.
- Eye injuries: Flying debris, toxic liquids, or blunt force by an object can cause many eye injuries, sometimes resulting in permanent vision loss.
- Repetition injuries: Muscle, ligament, tendon, and joint conditions and injuries resulting from repetitive motions over an extended period. One of the more common of these types of injuries is carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Electrocutions: Live electrical wires, poorly maintained equipment, or failure to wear adequate protection can lead to minor shocks and mild to severe electrocution.
- Respiratory and skin problems: Long-term respiratory illnesses and diseases of the lungs can arise from inhaling toxic gases, chemicals, fumes, or dust. Likewise, certain substances in contact with the skin can cause long-term conditions such as chronic dermatitis and lesions.
- Machinery-related injuries: Accidents involving heavy machinery, tools, or equipment can cause severe injuries, such as amputations or crushing injuries.
- Injuries from falling objects: Often due to improper safety training or unstable materials or structures in a workplace.
What You Can Do
If you’ve been injured at work, call Eason & Tambornini for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your situation. Our workers’ compensation attorneys are standing by to help.
