Mining deaths drop in the U.S. in 2016
If you’ve ever worked in the mining industry, you know that it can be dangerous. Collapses, while uncommon, still cause serious injuries to those in mines, and they could even lose their lives if they can’t get help.
Fortunately, some new data has been released in 2017. It reports that the number of U.S. mining deaths dropped in 2016, bringing it to an all-time low. Preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s division of Mine Safety and Health Administration reports that 26 people were killed in work-related accidents in 2016, down from 29 in 2015.
Deaths in this industry aren’t just attributed to those that take place in the mines themselves. Some were a result of accidents with machinery. Both metal and nonmetal mines reported injuries and deaths. A total of 17 deaths were reported in Washington, Virginia, Utah, Iowa, North Carolina and other states. In North Carolina, only one death was reported. That death did not occur underground.
It’s good news that overall death rates are dropping in the mining industry. With new technology and better ways to stabilize the mines, it’s easier to make sure workers stay safe. Stringent safety standards help make sure work places, even those underground, are as safe as possible.
For those who did suffer injuries, workers’ compensation can help cover medical expenses and lost wages depending on how much time was missed from work. For those who lost a loved one in an accident, this same workers’ compensation can provide death benefits that can help you cover medical expenses and funeral costs for your loved one.
Source: Floyd County Times, “US mining deaths drop to another new low in 2016,” accessed Jan. 20, 2017
Are workplace accidents prominent in North Carolina?
In 2015, there were over 74,000 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in North Carolina’s private industry. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that was 2.6 workers per 100 full-time workers, a relatively high rate, though lower than the national rate of 3 per 100.
Workplace injuries can typically be avoided with good safety procedures, but they still take place throughout the state.The sectors of industry with the most injuries and illnesses were trade, transportation, manufacturing and utilities. Interestingly, out of the 74,100 cases, a little over half were severe or severe enough to cause missed days from work, transfers to different jobs or positions or restrictions. A total of 38,300 cases were considered to be of severe natures.
How many of these cases were illnesses?
In all, 96.4 percent of all illnesses and injuries were actually injuries, with workplace illnesses accounting for only 2,700 cases. There were three categories that stood out. These included respiratory conditions, skin disorders and hearing loss. They made up 37 percent of all the occupational illnesses in the state, whereas they made up 36 percent nationally.
With these conditions, the workers could be suffering from things like asthma, mesothelioma, hearing loss from exposure to loud noises or machinery or skin disorders from exposure to the sun or chemicals. There are many different conditions covered by these umbrella terms.
Workers who suffer on-the-job illnesses have a right to seek out workers’ compensation and appropriate medical care. Like an injury, an illness can have a significant impact on a person’s life and should be treated fairly by the person’s employer and insurance coverage.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Employer-Reported Workplace Injuries and Illnesses in North Carolina – 2015,” accessed Jan. 10, 2017
There are many kinds of workplace accidents that take place in various situations, so it’s important that you’re always looking for ways to maintain your safety in your work environment. Some of the most common injuries that take place include repetitive motion injuries, machine entanglements and motor vehicle accidents.
With repetitive motion injuries, people suffer injuries because of doing the same thing over and over again. For example, if you work in a factory on a conveyor line, you may have to perform the same movement 50 to 100 times per minute. This rapid, identical movement can wear down your joints, tendons and other parts of your body, leading to an injury from the strain the motion puts on your body.
With machine entanglement injuries, a person is caught in, pulled into, crushed by or otherwise involved in an accident with a piece of machinery. This sometimes leads to amputations, crushing injuries or other severe, life-threatening injuries. Most machine-related injuries can be prevented by using machinery guards, a safety requirement in most workplaces. If your employer foregoes the safety guards to save time or money, it is an important safety violation.
Finally, motor vehicle accidents can be a workplace accident. If you are driving for the purpose of work, then getting into an accident can be considered compensable through workers’ compensation. For instance, if you’re a truck driver who is struck by another driver and injured, you should be able to receive compensation for the injuries you suffered while performing your duties.
Our website has information on workers’ compensation claims and what you can do if you were hurt at work.
Willful workplace violations. Those are words that no family wants to hear after the death of a loved one. They mean that the employer knew that there were violations of safety regulations and did nothing about them. These violations could be as simple as not guarding machinery to not providing safety gear to workers at a construction site.
With so many businesses in the United States, it’s not surprising that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration doesn’t have enough agents to go to every business to check that it is following safety regulations. What it is doing is finding the businesses that are violating its regulations most often and taking a stand against them. The federal safety agency and its state counterparts have 1,850 or fewer inspectors who have to monitor 8 million workplaces.
It is simply impossible for the officials to inspect every job site. That’s why the agency requests that you report any safety violations that take place in the workplace. Right now, OSHA only goes to severe violator workplaces or to workplaces where deaths or severe injuries have taken place. There simply isn’t the manpower to do more. Even adding more inspectors wouldn’t help; the job is overwhelming. Despite this, its job is necessary and enforcement is required.
Companies that violate safety precautions can be put into severe violator program that takes years to get out of. While this is a good start, it isn’t enough to hold all companies accountable for their actions. If your loved one was hurt or killed, it must be reported. Then OSHA will investigate the incident. An attorney can help you file a workers’ compensation claim or a death benefits claim.
Source: Iowa Watch, “OSHA’s Wall of Shame: With Limited Staff, Agency Targets ‘Severe Violators’,” Paul Feldman and Stuart Silverstein, Dec. 23, 2016
An employer could argue that a slip-and-fall accident shouldn’t be something he should be held liable for if the employee was behaving negligently or if there was no negligence on the part of the employer. For example, if you trip and fall over your own two feet, is that the business owner’s fault simply because you were at work?
In most workers’ compensation situations, if you slip, trip or fall, you can seek medical treatment and know that the Workers’ Compensation Commission will approve your claim so long as it took place at work. However, there are times when your claim could be denied even though there is no precedent to do so.
In the past, there was one case where a woman tripped and fell over a carpet at work. She was treated for neck and shoulder pain, but the commission denied her claim. It stated that she could have been hurt anywhere, and there was nothing specific at work that could have contributed to her fall any more than anywhere else.
That decision was later reversed, because even though that fall wasn’t a result of a hazard, she was working when she fell. Overall, the courts in the state decided that if you are working or are performing tasks in the course of employment at the time when you are injured, you will be entitled to workers’ compensation and can’t be denied compensation simply because the same injury could have happened elsewhere or was not specifically caused by a hazard in the workplace. If your claim is denied even though you are an employee and were hurt at work, you can appeal with your attorney’s assistance.
Source: Safety News Alert, “Are trip-and-fall injuries eligible for workers’ comp?,” accessed Dec. 20, 2016
Workplace injuries cost employers money and cause employees to suffer. Fortunately, some injuries can be reduced or eliminated with the use of ergonomics in the workplace.
Americans spend around 2,000 hours a year at work, so workplaces need to be a safe, ergonomic location. The hours spent at computers or on a factory line add up, and those repetitive motions take a toll on your back, arms, neck and eyes.
What are the signs and symptoms of workplace injuries caused by repetitive motions?
While not all repetitive-motion injuries cause long-term pain or injury, sitting incorrectly for long periods of time can cause neck and back strain, headaches and other related illnesses. Repetitive motion injuries can wear away at tendons and ligaments, inflaming joints and causing pain.
The goal of ergonomics is to reduce the limitations of the body by making the joints, bones, tendons and muscles work in the best possible positions. These positions work to reduce the potential for strain by aligning the body properly. When a person isn’t working in the right position, it leads to reduced efficiency, a loss of income due to injury, increased medical claims and potentially permanent disability.
Musculoskeletal disorders occur when muscles, tendons and nerves are aggravated by repeated movements in awkward positions or when exposed to high forces, vibrations or exposure to cold. Irritating the nerves can cause inflammation that is painful and restricting; tendons can tear, and joints can become stiff.
Employers need to make sure that employees get enough breaks and have ergonomic work conditions. Without them, more injuries take place, and you may need to apply for workers’ compensation.
Source: AIHA, “An Ergonomics Approach to Avoiding Office Workplace Injuries and Illnesses,” accessed Dec. 13, 2016
Construction workers are exposed to hazards almost every day. They often perform tasks that are dangerous, such as building bridges at a height or wading into cool or frigid waters to do repairs. When safety protocols are followed, there should be no accidents. If a loved one is hurt because someone fails to do so, then that’s a major concern.
Workers and their families can generally seek workers’ compensation after an accident results in injuries or a death. The benefits help cover expenses that were unexpected, and it’s something this person’s family might consider. A construction worker in Fayetteville passed away after an accident in which the machinery he was working on tipped over, forcing him into a nearby creek. The man’s body was discovered around 2:00 p.m., on Nov. 29, according to local news sources.
The man had worked for Fayetteville Public Works Commission for 13 years before this accident. He was working in Stewart Creek when the accident took place. He had been fixing a bridge that had sustained damage during Hurricane Matthew. Following the machine tipping, the man was lost in the creek. The investigators from the North Carolina Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Department have indicated that an investigation has begun into the incident.
It took several hours for emergency responders to find the man. Divers had to come in to search the bed of the creek. It isn’t clear exactly how he passed away, but there will likely be more updates about the accident in the upcoming days as the investigation takes place in North Carolina.
Source: CBS WNCN, “Fayetteville construction worker dies after machinery flips,” Nov. 29, 2016
The most common occupational illnesses in the U.S. include falls, musculoskeletal injuries and those from overexertion. Fractures, lacerations and other work-related injuries are also common.
It’s your employer’s responsibility to make sure as few accidents happen as possible. This can be achieved by providing important information on safety requirements to workers as well as making sure they are properly trained to do their jobs.
In 2010, it was shown that nearly 47 out of 10,000 workplace injuries and illnesses were a result of sprains, strains and tears. These are often caused by overexertion. For instance, a worker who puts in 60 hours a week doing repetitive motions would be more likely to suffer injuries than one who works 20 hours a week doing the same tasks.
Overexertion in lifting injuries make up around 13.2 injuries out of the total 27 injuries per 10,000 workers. These injuries are also likely to be caused by pushing the body too hard. It’s important to know when a task requires two or more people or when machinery should be used to move an item.
Another injury to look out for is a musculoskeletal injury. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 34.3 of 10,000 on-the-job injuries are related to musculoskeletal injuries of the back, wrists and other parts of the body.
Employers should always know how much work employees are putting in and make an effort to reduce the risk of injury in the workplace. If you suffer an injury or illness, workers’ compensation benefits may apply to your case, so you can get the support you need to seek medical attention. Our website has more information.
How workers’ compensation benefits are calculated
Accidents happen, and if you’ve suffered an injury while working in North Carolina, you may be eligible for lost wage compensation. This compensation is provided to you when you have missed over seven days of work due to an injury that took place on the job. This payment isn’t due to you until you miss at least seven days of work, and those days won’t be paid to you unless you end up with a disability that exceeds 21 days. In that case, the payment for those days will be added to the second benefits check.
If you are going to be receiving financial compensation from workers’ compensation for lost wages, you need to understand how it’s calculated. The income you will receive is calculated at two-thirds of your average weekly wage. The maximum you can receive each week is $978 based on the 2017 maximum recently approved by the government.
You can continue to receive these benefits on a weekly basis until you are able to return to work and resume your job. If you are unable to return to work, you may be entitled to permanent disability payments, which are calculated in the same way. Other forms of payments may also be available.
In order to obtain these benefits, you’ll need to show that you suffered an accident at work. Your employer should acknowledge your claim for compensation. If he or she refuses to do so, you can appeal any denial for compensation that you receive and work with your attorney to make sure you get all that you’re owed.
Source: North Carolina Industrial Commission, “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs),” accessed Nov. 24, 2016
Coal mining accidents can impact the lives of many people all at once. When a mine collapses or a shaft closes, it can block off the workers inside and make it hard for them to get help, food or water. For those who are injured, it’s near impossible to get the medical care they need, leading to more serious injuries due to the wait time.
Coal mining accidents happen for a number of reasons including methane explosions, coal stockpile collapses or falls. Burns, coal miner’s silicosis or pneumoconiosis are also possible injuries workers could suffer form. Each of these accidents or injuries can be hard on a person and could lead to disabilities or death.
After a serious injury takes place, the family of the victim and the victim him or herself must deal with the emotional, physical and financial toll of the injury. There are many costs to consider, from the expenses related to medical care and therapy to those for traveling and treatment from specialist facilities. With the worker no longer being employed, finances can become strained for some families, which is why seeking out workers’ compensation is so important.
In the long term, those who have been injured might suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or other life-altering conditions that need ongoing medical care. It’s the job of workers’ compensation to accommodate those who have been injured by covering the cost of medical care and providing income to those who can’t return to work. Workers may also be entitled to disability payments or other benefits due to suffering an injury on the job. Our website has more information on the steps to take when you’ve been injured.
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