Holiday Safety Issues for Workers: A North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Guide
Whether you are a freshly injured worker who’s had to go on North Carolina workers’ compensation due to a computer typing injury or construction injury; or you are a healthy worker who wants to avoid on the job accidents or diseases, you may benefit from the following tips about how to stay safe over this holiday season. As joyous as the December holidays can be, problems at office Christmas parties, schedule changes, and icy winter weather can all make your work more treacherous than it is typically. Let’s analyze these issues.
1. Winter weather
Although North Carolina does not often get blitzed by blizzards, inclement winter weather, such as cold spells, sleet, snow, slush and freezing rain, can make your job more hazardous. If you are a delivery worker, for instance, it’s easy to envision yourself getting lost on an icy North Carolina road, sliding off into an embankment, dislocating your shoulder, and having to go on workers’ comp for all of 2011. This is something you want to avoid. To that end, pay extra attention during the winter to weather conditions. Go to weather.com to look up your local forecast. And keep your co-workers informed of any upcoming storms or squalls as well.
2. Watch the alcohol
The Yuletide season is a time of much carousing. You’ve worked hard in 2010, and you deserve to engage in a little frivolity and fun. But clowning around at an office Christmas party can result in serious injuries to you or your co-workers, even if you don’t work in an environment that contains heavy machinery, toxic chemicals or fire hazards. Remember: alcohol and other intoxicants and work do not mix. So if you are organizing or participating in a holiday party, rigorously adhere to safety standards. Obviously, you don’t want to be a “stick in the mud,” but neither do you want to spend the bulk of 2011 out of work at home in a back brace and on North Carolina workers’ compensation.
3. Beware of schedule changes
This is a tricky one. During December, work hours shift suddenly and become irregular. Obviously, many people take off the Christmas holiday. Others take off Hanukkah. Still others take off extended vacations to visit family out of state. This means that your shift lengths may change, and there may be a more lax and casual atmosphere at the office or work site as a result. Changes in schedule, substitutions, and shifts in your work environment can be a surprisingly terrifying cocktail. They can cause increased risk for accidents and injuries.
If you or a co-worker has experienced an injury or disease or other work-related health problem, protect your benefits by discussing your needs with a North Carolina workers’ compensation law firm ASAP. The faster you get good advice, the easier it will be for you to move forward with your life and enjoy a healthy and prosperous 2011.
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