When a person suffers an injury on the job, he or she has the right to pursue benefits through a workers' compensation claim. Even knowing that benefits are available in case of a workplace accident, a worker may still have concerns about his or her health and safety while on the job. Since 2014, fatal workplace injuries are up by 22%, which means that California employees have a good reason to be concerned.
Does your job leave you short of breath?
Did you know that you could develop work-related asthma even if you have never had it before? Asthma either is a disease of the lungs that can worsen by exposure to triggers -- if you already have asthma -- or develop in healthy lungs. Different industries in California expose workers to mold, dust, chemicals, plants, animals and about 300 other known substances that can cause asthma.
Suspension trauma can cause fatal construction workers' accidents
The risks of falls are par for the course in the construction industry nationwide, including in California. Workers might find comfort in knowing that their employers provide fall arrest systems to those who work at heights. However, they may not know that the danger continues after the PPE arrested the fall. Suspension trauma can claim the lives of workers who are suspended and waiting to be rescued.
Many construction workers' accidents involve falls from roofs
Spending the holidays in a California hospital and fighting to overcome critical injuries is not something wished upon anyone. Sadly, construction workers' accidents can happen when least expected. An incident sent a construction worker in the Santa Clarita Valley to a Valencia hospital after a fall from a roof at a construction site.
Does your facial hair threaten your safety at work?
Safety authorities estimate that five million workers nationwide need to wear respirators to protect them from harm while they perform their daily duties. If you work in an industry in California that exposes you to small pieces of particulate matter that you can easily inhale or hazardous gases, vapors and fumes, you are one of those workers. Proper personal protective equipment can prevent severe long-term health problems or even death.
Workplace injuries: Elevated lead levels in workers' bloodstreams
The California Department of Health's Occupational Lead Poisoning Prevention Program recently reported the results of 38,440 blood tests that were conducted on workers between 2012 and 2014. Over 6,000 of those showed excessive levels of lead, which can result in serious workplace injuries and illnesses. Reportedly, the elevated lead levels were found among workers in the manufacturing and construction industries.
Fatal workplace injuries claim the lives of 2 airport workers
Ground workers at airports face a variety of hazards, some of which involve the dangers posed by service vehicles like tugs. Tugs are the tractor-like vehicles that tow trailers carrying heavy loads. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has launched an investigation into a recent incident with a tug in which two workers suffered fatal workplace injuries while working at a busy international airport in California.
