Workplace accidents have the potential to cause serious injury or even wrongful death. While most New Jersey residents don’t give workplace safety a second thought, the sheer volume of employee hours leads to thousands of workplace injuries each year. Each profession comes with individual risks and safety hazards which should be addressed by both employers and co-workers.
Today, our personal injury and workers’ compensation attorneys will identify common workplace injuries, the most dangerous professions, and what victims can do if they have been injured on the job.
Common Workplace Injuries: Princeton, NJ Workers’ Compensation Lawyers
Many working adults work 40 plus hours per week. While it is certainly possible to mitigate the risks associated with full-time employment, accidents will happen. Your Princeton workers’ comp lawyer may be able to seek benefits for victims who have suffered any of the following common workplace injuries:
Slip and falls – the most common workplace accident involve slips, trips, and fall. Common resulting injuries including lacerations, broken bones, concussions, sprains, strains, and much more.
Injuries from over-exertion or repetitive strain – many jobs with a physical component involve performing the same action many many times consecutively. Even safe activities can lead to injury of long periods of time. These actives may result in muscle strains, ligament and tendon damage, carpal tunnel, arthritis, etc.
Environmental hazards/exposure – toxic fumes or other environmental hazards over long periods of time can lead to long term or even permanent disability, brain damage, and other very serious issues.
Transportation accidents – some occupations such as truck drivers, cab drivers, delivery people, and law enforcement involve many hours behind the wheel. Motor vehicle accidents can lead to serious injury or wrongful death.
Most Dangerous Professions in Mercer County
Not all occupations are created equal when it comes to overall safety. Improving safety standards and education are improving the work life of Americans every day, but workplace accidents will always be an issue. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the following professions have the highest rate of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in 2015:
- Commercial fishing – 13.6 percent incident rate
- Nursing, residential care, assisted living facility workers – 12 percent incident rate
- Law enforcement (police) – 11.3 percent
- Household furniture manufacturing – 10.8 percent
- Mobile home manufacturing – 10.2 percent
- Firefighters – 10.2 percent
- Hog and pig farming – 8 percent
- Construction of civil engineering projects – 8 percent
Lawrence Workplace Accident Injury Attorneys Discuss Victims’ Rights After On the Job Accidents
So what happens if you are hurt on the job? Depending on the circumstances, your Lawrence personal injury and workers’ compensation attorney may be able to recover financial compensation through either:
Workers’ Compensation Claims – workers’ comp is no fault insurance, meaning that you do not need to prove negligence or misconduct in order to recover compensation. As a result, the compensation recoverable is somewhat limited when compared to personal injury claims.
Personal Injury Claims – in rare cases, workplace accidents may also lead to successful personal injury claims. However, these must involve negligence and or recklessness of a third party in most cases. In other words, employees may not sue their employers or co-workers for personal injury compensation the vast majority of the time.
Contact our Hamilton Workers’ Comp and Personal Injury Attorneys Today
The workers’ comp and PI attorneys of Cohen & Riechelson are proud to serve clients from local Mercer County towns including Trenton, Hamilton, Princeton, Lawrence, New Brunswick, and all of Central New Jersey. Our firm is built on the foundation of high quality legal service, ethical practices, and upstanding reputation amongst our clients, peers, and the legal communities. Since opening our doors in 1972, our focus has been on providing the best possible outcome for our clients, whether through workers’ compensation claims, personal injury claims, or both.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a construction accident, product liability accident, truck accident, slip and fall accident, or any other type of accident, please contact us online or through our Hamilton, NJ office today by calling (609) 528-2596 for a free and confidential consultation.