St. Louis Workers' Compensation Blog

When your employer hired you to work in a Missouri warehouse or distribution center, you probably went through a series of training sessions before you could work on the floor. Certainly, you could not operate a forklift until you had completed your certification and training. From the very beginning of your employment, you understood the potential dangers of warehouse work.

If your employer is prudent and diligent, he or she continues to update your training and provide the safest possible environment for you and your co-workers. Nevertheless, the job can be dangerous. Even with the most conscientious co-workers, every day places you at risk of injury. It only takes one moment of carelessness or distraction to result in a warehouse injury.

Injuries on the job happen every day, but you may not realize exactly how often. Many people suffer from workplace injuries that can be debilitating and include a long, painful recovery.

While tragic falls and horrifying machinery accidents may make the news, the most common injury a worker may suffer is overexertion. This injury can affect employees in nearly every industry where physical activity is the norm, and it results in an average of 13 days of missed work each year. That number is more than 60% greater than days lost for all other injuries.

Acrophobia is the fear of heights. You may be surprised just how many people here in Missouri and elsewhere suffer from this phobia. You may not find many of those people working with you in the construction business, however.

It would be almost impossible for someone working in the construction industry to avoid heights. However, there is a distinct difference between having a phobia regarding heights and having a healthy fear of them. One may keep you from working at heights, and the other may help keep you safe while working above the ground.

You might think your workplace is safe, but very few facilities are accident-proof. Many Missouri workers rely on their employers to protect their safety and health as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration prescribes. However, for many business owners, profits are more important, leaving it up to employees to look out for their own safety.

Workplace accidents can happen in the blink of an eye and the severity of injuries are not always immediately apparent. Brain injuries fall in this category because a medical examination after an on-the-job injury will likely include x-rays to check for fractures, but CT scans to check for brain injuries are expensive and are not likely to form part of the evaluation. This frequently leads to brain-injury workers being sent back to work with undiagnosed injuries. Concussions can cause permanent loss of cognitive functioning and potential life-long problems.