Nonfatal Injuries In The Work Environment

The right to a safe and healthy workplace is one of the legal guarantees that employees in the United States have under workplace rights. Furthermore, Health and safety is one of the most important aspects in the internal environment for an organization. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is an organization within the U.S. Department of Labor that created what is known as the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. The mission of OSHA and its act is to prevent work related injuries, illness, and death by setting rules, regulations, and standards for workplace health and safety. Since the establishment of OSHA and its Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, workplace fatalities have been cut by forty percent, and occupational injury and illness rates have been cut by sixty percent, proving their success in improving worker safety and health (1). OSHA has been able to accomplish this by implementing training programs for the employees within many different companies, but especially for those in construction and hard labor. They create these programs because they know that some working sites are more dangerous than others. For example, the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that those in the construction industries have a “4.6 in 100 chance of being injured on or getting sick from their jobs”

Specific health problems associated with the workplace have contributed to the development of Particular health issues connected with the work environment have added to the advancement of the cutting edge safety and health development. These issues incorporate lung infections in diggers, mercury harming, and lung tumor attached to asbestos. Occupational and Environmental Health Professionals have an above normal extent of all day employments. For Occupational and Environmental Health Professionals working all day, normal week by week hours are 42.3 and profit are high - in the ninth decile. Unemployment for Health Professionals is underneath normal. H&S Professionals have an expansive extent of specialists amongst individuals in the 25-34 age section, making it an energetic and dynamic workplace. The unavoidable consequence of the expanded consideration given to safety and health is that bigger organizations are utilizing safety and health professionals and all organizations big or small are relegating these obligations to existing representatives.

The health and safety in the workplace for workers has created a continual concern in the United States since the country was discovered. Although, a healthy and safe work environment can be described as a work area free of health risks and absent unsafe conditions. Indeed, the definition encompasses additional legal, moral, ethical issues. Particularly, reporting safety issues rather than choosing to ignore them, refusing to fall under peer pressure or fear of retaliation, not accepting bribes and making the conscious decision to report violators of the rules. Initially, certain accidents and injuries within industries were accepted and considered a consequence of the job, eventually workers became less accepting of inadequate working conditions began demanding safer work environments. Therefore, numerous labor unions and organizations formed throughout the history of the United States intended to resolve and mediate issues between employees and employers, including the health and safety of the workers in the workplace. Nevertheless, in an effort to avoid confusion on the accountability of employee health and safety in the workplace the author of this paper has examined the separate entities of OSHA, employers and employees. Although, a minute majority of workers believe that OSHA exclusively is responsible for ensuring the health and safety of workers in the workplace; the alternative belief is that it is the individual responsibility of

It is understood that manual workers endure more work related injuries than non-manual workers. Recent studies to support this claim come from Clapp et al (2005) who indicate that a probable 12 of cancer deaths are workplace related, also, Meldrumm (2005) found that working conditions cause up to 20 of lung cancer deaths (Holborn, Burrage and Langley, 2009).

Research strongly suggests that workaholism may cause serious threats to the worker’s health and can even result in death

This claimant is a 41-year-old female with a work related injury to the bilateral knees. Current complaints include pain described as sharp, stabbing, achy, pins and needles, and shooting. She rated pain as 7/10 without medications and 3/10 with medications.

Despite the variety of health and safety programs, and the efforts to provide ergonomically correct work environments, many employees continue to suffer MSDs and work-related injuries. Drennan and Richey consider “the efforts to persuade employees to adopt healthier lifestyles have largely failed due to great societal pressure. Long commutes, long work hours, convenience of fast food, single parents trying to make ends meet, living alone and lack of social support all contribute to poor eating and exercise habits.” (Drennan & Richey 2003). Indeed, many employees suffer excessive weight, and lack of flexibility and strength, while employers continue to suffer the losses, either in workers compensation or healthcare costs. Therefore, while employees must ultimately take responsible for their own physical condition, employers also obligated to step up strategies that improve health and safety so they can remain competitive in today's global environment. Employers need to provide every opportunity to promote employees safety in order to avoid financial consequences and create a culture supportive of world-class safety

Newton, D. E. (2013). Workplace Safety. In L. J. Fundukian (Ed.), The Gale Encyclopedia of Public Health (Vol. 2, pp. 998-1003). Detroit: Gale. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GVRL&sw=w&u=broward29&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CCX2760500269&asid=e748d4e9dfa93687a192edad8027b2db

Minor workplace injuries occur daily. A simple paper cut or minor bruise can happen in almost every type of business. Severe workplace injuries are generally not a common occurrence in a business. After receiving a workplace injury, you may start to question your employer’s safety protocols.

Being injured on the job is never something that is preferable. Neither the employer nor the employee wants these types of things to happen, and both suffer the consequences of an accident. However, there are times when they do. If you find yourself in this situation, you will want to be certain that you have the representation you need to get through the legal process.

In 2012, the BLS reported that “the rate of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses requiring days away from work to recuperate was 112 cases per 10,000 full-time workers.” In that same year, the average number of days missed at work was 9 days. Of the nonfatal occupational injuries reported in 2012, employees aged 65 and older had the lowest incidence rate at 89 cases per 10,000 full-time workers, however; the number of days missed at work to recover increased by 55 percent to an average of 14 days. In the reporting of prior years, 94 percent of the nonfatal work injuries among workers 55 and older were the result of trauma, with chronic injuries, such as back pain and illnesses, making up

DOI: 01/23/2016. This is a case of a 42-year-old female separation baker who sustained a work-related injury when one of the metal rack slipped off injuring her right arm. As per office notes dated 7/20/16, the patient complains of right shoulder pain, right wrist and hand pain as well as right elbow pain. The right shoulder pain is described as constant moderate pain in nature. It is described also by burning and weakness. The right wrist and hand pain is constant moderate to severe that is sharp and numb. The right elbow pain is constant moderate that is described as sharp and tingling. Objective findings revealed 2 + spasm and tenderness to the right rotator cuff muscles. Spuraspinatus test was positive on the right. The elbow revealed 2+spasm

The researchers in this article discussed the effect and rates of occupational injuries and illness in

While most workplaces are safe, employees in certain industries are more likely to experience chemical related injuries. These include construction, manufacturing and manual labor workers. However, even office employees can be exposed to toxic chemicals at work, such as cleaning products.

Workplace health and protection exist as well. Companies and businesses develop different programs to try to promote positive health. Two common categories exist and these are health promotion and health protection. The goal is to “protect workers from occupational injury and illness ranging from basic safety training to the use of protective gear, work organization, and safety enhancing modification” that better the workplace. By doing this,