Common Types of OSHA Violations
Some common workplace safety violations that workers reported to OSHA in 2023 include lack of protective gear, failure to mitigate fall risk, and failure to prevent workers from getting close to dangerous machines.
Workers’ compensation laws give workers who get injured at work the right to get their employers’ insurance to pay for the treatment of the work-related injury. Unlike in a personal injury lawsuit, there is no need to split hairs about how preventable the accident was or to determine what percentage of fault for the accident belongs to whom. Despite this, employers must follow workplace safety standards as set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Reporting a safety violation to OSHA is a legally protected activity, meaning that it is unlawful for your employer to retaliate against you for it. When OSHA catches safety violations through routine inspections, or when workers report safety hazards, employers face monetary fines, but this is much preferable to OSHA not finding out until an injury has occurred. Despite this, many workers get injured each year due to preventable safety violations in the workplace.
Common OSHA Workplace Safety Violations in 2023
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Online website, these are the most common safety violations for which employers received citations in 2023:
- Failure to place machine guards to prevent workers from getting close to machine parts with sparks or rotating objects
- Failure to provide personal protective equipment to shield the face and eyes from dangerous objects and substances
- Lack of fall prevention measures
- Failure to provide respiratory protection equipment
- Violations involving hazardous energy
- Hazards related to powered industrial trucks such as tractors and platform lift trucks
- Insufficient scaffolding
- Violations involving ladders
- Failure to communicate hazards
What Should You Do if You Get Injured at Work Because of Unsafe Workplace Conditions?
If you get injured at work, you should immediately notify your employer about the accidental injury and seek medical treatment. Ask your coworkers to take pictures of the site of the accident if you are not able to do this because of the severity of your injuries. If your injuries are serious enough to require hospitalization or surgery, then it is never too soon to contact an Omaha workers’ compensation lawyer. Workers’ compensation laws seem simple, but employers will do everything they can so that they can pay as little as possible for your claim. You may need a lawyer’s help to prove that your injuries are as severe as you say they are and that they are the result of a work accident and not a pre-existing medical condition.
Contact Andres Law Offices, PC LLO, About Injuries Resulting From Workplace Injuries
An Omaha workers’ compensation lawyer can help you if you got injured at work because of an OSHA violation. Contact Andres Law Offices, PC LLO in Omaha, Nebraska about your case.