3 Surprising Ways to Get Hurt at Your Job: A North Carolina Workers' Compensation “How Not To” Guide
Few industrious workers dream of spending months or years out on North Carolina workers’ compensation, earning less than they had been earning and struggling to break through the red tape put up by employers and insurance companies. That said, workers often pay surprisingly little attention to easy preventative measures that could drastically reduce their likelihood of going on workers’ comp. Here is a primer on common mistakes and how to avoid them.
1. Fail to Take Breaks
Do you sit for 10 hours a day at a computer and type or do work on the web? Do you work at an industrial facility and engage in repetitive motions? The longer you perform an activity, and the more repetitious that activity is, the more likely you will be to get hurt from that activity. Even mousing on your computer too much can distort your musculoskeletal system, cause inflammation, and force you to compensate in awkward and potentially dangerous ways.
In addition to getting better ergonomic equipment and more variation in your job, make sure to take breaks. Don’t expect to take them automatically. Use a computer program (or app on your phone) to remind you to take breaks every 15 minutes or 30 minutes.
2. Fail to Review Safety Information
Imagine your first day on an assembly line job where you deal with hot liquids, giant pieces of machinery, and huge blades slicing through things. Chances are, you will pay a lot of attention to your supervisor as she walks you through safety tips and procedures. Now cut to eight months later. You come in for a standard, typical day – in the same dangerous setting. Do you think eight months into your job, you will be as respectful of the machinery as you were on Day One? Probably not. The machines are just as dangerous, though!
To prevent getting lulled into a “disrespect” of workplace dangers, set a calendar reminder to review safety procedures and protocols. Make your safety reminders as vivid as you can so they’ll stick in your mind.
3. Give into a “Culture of Danger”
Human beings are notoriously susceptible to social influences. If you work at an office where every employee cleans up, adheres rigorously to safety protocols, and logs all mistakes, chances are that you will take those actions too. On the other hand, if you work in a place where employees slack off and ignore glaring problems, chances are that you will ignore problems too.
There is a way to combat this tendency. First off, if you are a supervisor or owner of a company, be on the alert for “slacking off” and take immediate measures to stop it. If you work at a place where employees disrespect workplace dangers, consciously strive to “break” from this culture of danger and follow safe and proper conduct. It takes a tremendous amount of effort to go against the grain in a workplace culture, so it’s easier to have management work on this for you. But if you can’t make headway, at least start with yourself and see if you can’t recruit a few other likeminded individuals to join you in creating a culture that’s more safety conscious.
To get efficient help with your claim, contact a North Carolina workers’ compensation law firm. Whether your employer is withholding benefits or the responsible insurance company is holding up your benefits in red tape, a good attorney team can make an enormous difference.
More Web Resources:
Culture of Carelessness at work
