There were 4.4 injuries for every 100 workers in the state of Georgia in 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Around half of those workplace injuries were serious enough to result in missing work. The injuries also occurred across all fields and professions, including construction, mining, manufacturing, transportation, service, and retail.

If you or a loved one has suffered any type of injury in the workplace and you need help getting workers’ compensation benefits, an Atlanta on-the-job accident lawyer at Parsons Law Group can provide you with the help you need. Contact us today for a free, confidential claim review.

The Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index outlined the top 10 causes of workplace injuries, including:

  1. Overexertion – Injuries resulting from carrying, pushing, pulling, lifting, or otherwise putting strain on the body.
  2. Falls on the same level – Injuries resulting from tripping, slipping, or stumbling without falling to a lower level
  3. Falls to a lower level – Injuries that result from falling onto a level below.
  4. Bodily reactions – Injuries resulting from the way your body moves, such as when you twist or trip without falling.
  5. Being struck by objects – Injuries resulting from something falling onto you or hitting you.
  6. Car accidents – Injuries resulting from car accidents that occur while you are driving as required by your job. Both professional drivers, such as truck drivers, and those required to run errands for their jobs can suffer these types of covered workplace injuries.
  7. Being caught in or compressed by something – Injuries that result when someone is trapped in a machine, run over by a machine, or otherwise caught or compressed.
  8. Striking an object – Injuries that occur when you walk or fall into a wall, desk, door, machine, or other object.
  9. Repetitive stress/repetitive motion – Injuries such as carpal tunnel, a herniated disc, or muscle strains/sprains resulting from the way you use your body at work.
  10. Workplace violence – Injuries that occur as a result of violence directly connected to your employment.

These types of workplace accidents are among those that could result in an injury that is covered by workers’ compensation. There is no requirement that your employer was negligent or careless in any way for you to be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.

Common Workplace Injuries

These and other types of accidents and incidents at work can cause a variety of different impairments and medical problems, including death.

Some of the injuries that are most likely to occur as a result of your job include:

  • Strains, sprains, and other injuries due to overexertion – These types of injuries are very likely to result when you do the same tasks over and over at your job or when you ask your body to do too much at work.
  • Spinal cord injuries/Paralysis – Falls, car accidents, and violence are all top causes of spinal cord injuries and are all likely to occur at work. A spinal cord injury can result in complete or partial paralysis below the area where the injury happened, often resulting in paraplegia or quadriplegia.
  • Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) – Slips and falls and car accidents are among the leading causes of brain injuries. Brain injuries can range from a concussion to a coma to deadly bleeding in the brain. Some victims experience permanent cognitive impairment. TBI can also cause seizures, mood changes, fatigue, memory problems, ringing in the ears, numbness, and a host of other long-lasting symptoms.
  • Repetitive stress injuries – Carpal tunnel is just one of the many types of repetitive stress injuries that can result from repeatedly taxing your body in the workplace. Injuries to the back, knees, shoulders, and other joints are also common.
  • Broken bones – Falls, car accidents, being struck by objects and striking objects are all likely to result in broken bones. In some cases, broken bones can lead to permanent impairment.
  • Amputations – Getting crushed by an object or caught in a machine are common causes of amputations. Under Georgia law, those who lose a limb may be entitled to additional compensation. For example, someone who loses an arm or a leg at work can receive 225 weeks of benefits.
  • Vision loss – Exposure to toxins or physical injury to the eye can result in impaired vision or blindness, as can other causes.
  • Hearing loss – Exposure to loud noises as well as physical damage to the ears or ear canal can result in partial hearing loss or deafness.
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – Victims could be entitled to receive benefits for PTSD under certain circumstances when they can clearly tie their mental health issues directly to something that occurred at work. Psychological injuries are covered as long as there is also a physical injury.
  • Occupational illnesses – Exposure to toxins at work can lead to the development of various types of illnesses, including asbestosis, lung problems, respiratory conditions, and cancers. Our firm is quite experienced in handling exposure cases and has recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in workplace exposure settlements.

If you suffer from these or any other injuries as a result of doing your job, you could have all of your medical bills covered by workers’ compensation. If your illness or injury results in you missing work or being unable to work at all, then you could also receive partial lost wages benefits. Workers’ compensation also provides death benefits to the families of those who suffer deadly injuries at work.

Hurt in a Workplace Accident? Our Georgia Workers’ Comp Lawyers Can Help

When you suffer an accident in the workplace, it is important to report it to your employer as soon as possible in order to ensure that you remain eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.

For help making a claim for benefits, or for assistance if your employer denies you any benefits to which you are entitled, contact an Atlanta workplace injury lawyer at Parsons Law Group, today.

Contact us now at (770) 766-0135, or fill out our online contact form for a free and confidential claim review. We return calls within 24 hours from our offices in Atlanta and Savannah.

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