An Attorney Can Help You Seek Justice for Injuries Resulting from Unsafe Work Practices

1. September 19, 2017 An Attorney Can Help You Seek Justice for Injuries Resulting from Unsafe Work Practices Working in an industry which involves a lot of dangers is bad enough. When the company chooses to disregard safe practices, the risk of serious injury to workers is multiplied further. Here are some instances when companies should be held liable for injuries to workers for disregarding safe work practices. 1

2. Using Defective Heavy Machinery, Equipment, and Tools Some companies defer maintenance on tools and equipment due to budget constraints, the lack of backup machines, or to meet tight schedules. Moreover, some managers unfortunately presume that so long as a tool works, it is still good for use. While this may not seem to be a problem at first, it can result in serious injuries if the machine suddenly malfunctions while in use. Operating a faulty piece of heavy machinery such as a forklift truck can result in serious injuries to the operator as well as other workers in the vicinity. Operating at Unsafe Speeds There are times when employees are given an almost impossible deadline. It's during these situations where everyone tries to pick up their pace to get the job done. Unfortunately, safety is sometimes compromised when this happens. For instance, a worker may suddenly decide to operate heavy machinery at above normal speeds even if they are not as skilled and experienced at controlling the said equipment. As a result, they can get injured or cause injury to a co-worker. Working or Standing Under Suspended Loads In some workplaces heavy loads are constantly suspended in the air. This can include cargo containers or even huge equipment parts that cannot be moved by hand. If the lifting equipment such as a forklift, crane, hoist or other machinery should fail, this can lead to injuries. The load may also swing and hit people in the vicinity. Generally, the recommendation is to observe the "10' foot rule" around suspended loads. That means that no one working at the site should be within 10 feet of the area where the load would fall in case a failure occurs. Unfortunately, not all work sites observe this rule. As a result, workers get hurt, often seriously. 2

3. Removing or Disabling Guards and Other Safety Devices on Equipment or Machinery There are a number of machine guards that can help make operation much safer for workers. These include pullback devices, restraint devices, presence sensing devices, two-hand control, two-hand trip, moveable barriers and others. Some of these devices allow operators to keep their hands at a predetermined safe distance or even keep them from danger areas. Other guards are designed to provide protection for machine repeats. Unfortunately, some workplaces decide to remove these safety guards to cut costs or speed up production. This may cause workers to suffer avoidable injuries. If you have been injured in the workplace as a result of unsafe practices, consult with an attorney about filing a formal legal complaint as soon as possible. Your employer needs to become aware that taking shortcuts at work is never good. More importantly, they also need to know that they can't put workers like you in harm’s way. About D & Z Law Group: Our team at D & Z Law Group is dedicated to making sure you get the justice and compensation you deserve if you have been injured due to unsafe practices in the workplace. If you or someone you know is in need of legal help, contact us and we shall put a dedicated attorney on your case. Sources: Workplace hazards, takeonestep.org Top 7 Workplace Hazards, safetymanagement.eku.edu Safety Tips When Working Around Suspended Loads - May 2015, cmrris.com, Safeguarding Equipment and Protecting Employees from Amputations, osha.gov 3