Workers Beware: Hazards are Recognized; Employers Continue to Ignore Legal Duties of Safety and Care
Industrial workers in Illinois and Indiana do their jobs in some of the most dangerous workplaces in the nation. They understand they will face risks each day, and are to be respected and commended for their dedication and commitment to their work. This is particularly true for those working in the construction; agri-business; warehouse and distribution; trucking; steel; and mining industries.
- For more, read: What Is The Most Dangerous Job in Indiana and Illinois? and The Most Dangerous Jobs in America Are Still the Most Deadly in 2021.
The dire reality is that workers die on the job. This is a growing trend. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”) comes the following warning:
- There was an 9% increase in fatal work injuries in 2021; and
- The fatal work injury rate has risen two years in a row (up from 3.4 per 100,000 FTE in 2020 and up from the 2019 pre-pandemic rate of 3.5).
For safety agencies and those advocating for worker victims and their loved ones it is a travesty to know how often employers in our part of the country disregard or disrespect known safety hazards on their worksites. These companies, and their safety officers, managers, and supervisors do this despite legally defined safety laws (OSHA) and established industrial safety standards (ISO, ANSI, ASSP).
They do this even while fatality rates are rising, industry-wide.
Our workers should be protected as much as reasonably possible from known risks of serious or deadly injuries on the job. They should be alert to any employer failing to make their safety a top priority.
Industrial Safety and Safety Compliance
Legal safety regulations and industry standards have created an entire industry, the safety industry, built to address compliance with both their requirements. Industrial safety is defined as “…a broad area of workplace safety, covering a number of issues and topics, including:
- General safety (issues and concerns that are common across all industries)
- Site-specific safety issues
- Process and production safety
- Material safety
- Fire safety
- Electrical safety
- Building and structural safety (including temporary installations)
- Environmental safety.
See Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs, published by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, October 2016; and Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs in Construction, published by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, October 2016.
- For more on safety management, read: Supervisors, Safety, and Work Accidents on the Job in Illinois and Indiana and Computer Vision for Worker Safety in Industrial Workplaces.
There are few unknowns here. Workplace dangers are recognized; how to protect workers is not a mystery.
Sadly, research studies confirm that year after year, the same types of accidents happen with the same types of work injuries killing or causing catastrophic injuries. The same safety laws are violated again and again.
- Read, Companies Ignore OSHA Safety Regulations and Workers Get Hurt on the Job and Fighting Fatal Falls on the Job: OSHA’s First National Emphasis Program.
The Six Major Industrial Worksite Hazards That Hurt or Kill Workers
OSHA has grouped workplace dangers into six basic hazard groups for employers to monitor on their particular jobsite. They are:
1. Safety Hazards
Considered the “most common hazard,” these are dangers that most workers will face on the job at some point. Examples include:
- Spills on floors or tripping hazards, such as blocked aisles or cords running across the floor
- Working from heights, including ladders, scaffolds, roofs, or any raised work area
- Unguarded machinery and moving machinery parts; guards removed or moving parts that a worker can accidentally touch
- Electrical hazards like frayed cords, missing ground pins, improper wiring
- Confined spaces
- Machinery-related hazards (lockout/tagout, boiler safety, forklifts, etc.).
For more on safety hazards, read: Factory Worker Accidents in Indiana and Illinois; Steelworkers’ Dangers on the Job: Top Five Steel Industry Hazards; Alarming Rise in Miner Deaths on the Job in 2023, Warns MSHA; and OSHA Warns of Accident Dangers in Illinois’ Food Processing Industry
2. Biological Hazards
Not all workers will deal with biological hazards; warehouse workers are less likely to face this risk than someone working with (1) animals, (2) people, or (3) infectious plant materials on a routine basis. These dangers are most common for those who work with children in schools or day care facilities; patients in hospitals or nursing care facilities; in laboratories; etc. These dangers include workers being exposed to:
- Blood and other body fluids
- Fungi/mold
- Bacteria and viruses
- Plants
- Insect bites
- Animal and bird droppings.
3. Physical Hazards
These are jobsite dangers that are a part of the work environment itself. Workers can be injured by physical hazards even if they never come in contact with the danger, such as:
- Radiation: including ionizing, nonionizing (EMF’s, microwaves, radiowaves, etc.);
- High exposure to sunlight/ultraviolet rays;
- Temperature extremes – hot and cold; and
- Constant loud noise.
For more on physical hazards, see: Extreme Heat on the Job: Danger of Severe Worker Injuries or Death.
4. Ergonomic Hazards
When workers are required to strain or move their bodies as part of the job, then there is a risk of bodily injury from ergonomic hazards. OHSA explains that while “short term” exposure can cause minor injuries, like “sore muscles,” there can be debilitating or catastrophic bodily harm from long term exposure, e.g.:
- Improperly adjusted workstations and chairs
- Frequent lifting
- Poor posture
- Awkward movements, especially if they are repetitive
- Repeating the same movements over and over
- Having to use too much force, especially if you have to do it frequently
- Vibration.
5. Chemical Hazards
People can die from exposure to chemical hazards on the job. OSHA explains this can happen when a worker is exposed to any chemical preparation in the workplace in any form (solid, liquid or gas). Even minor chemical exposures can make someone ill or make it difficult for the worker to breathe. Chemical hazards involve:
- Liquids like cleaning products, paints, acids, solvents – ESPECIALLY if chemicals are in an unlabeled container!
- Vapors and fumes that come from welding or exposure to solvents
- Gases like acetylene, propane, carbon monoxide and helium
- Flammable materials like gasoline, solvents, and explosive chemicals
- Pesticides.
For more on chemical injuries on the job, read: Dangerous Chemicals and Work Injuries: 2nd Highest Safety Violation in 2022 Was Hazard Communication.
6. Work Organization Hazards
Finally, there are work organization hazards that can cause injury or death. These include dangers that involve things like scheduled workloads or the lack of control over circumstances. OSHA provides the following examples of work organization hazards:
- Workload demands
- Workplace violence
- Intensity and/or pace
- Flexibility.
For more on work organization hazards, read: Workplace Violence: Employer’s Responsibility to Keep Workers Safe.
Traumatic Injuries on the Job: Worker Beware
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (“NIOSH”), using BLS data, confirms the following injury realities for workers today (footnotes omitted) (emphasis added), where falls, motor vehicle accidents, objects and equipment, and overexertion cause the most injuries:
- 18% of the 1,176,340 nonfatal work injuries resulting in days away from work in 2020 were related to slips, trips, and falls;
- In 2020, 1,038 U.S. workers died in work-related crashes involving motor vehicles (22% of all deaths); and
- The three leading causes of work-related injuries treated in an emergency department were contact with objects and equipment, overexertion and bodily reaction, and falls, slips and trips without a fall.
Increasing Danger of Work Accidents: Justice for Injured Workers
For workers in Indiana or Illinois, considering the BLS statistics as well as the known six industrial hazards, there is the risk of serious injury or death in accidents involving things like:
- Caught in or between hazard
- Chemical or Haz Mat exposure or release
- Confined space or trench failures
- Electrical equipment or live wires
- Falling objects
- Falls (Slip or Trip)
- Fires or Explosions
- Heavy Equipment or Machinery malfunction or entanglement
- Motor Vehicle Accidents (including industrial trucks like forklifts)
- Struck by cargo, machinery, or equipment
- Structure collapse (such as scaffolds or cranes)
- Workplace violence.
For more, see, Top Work-related Injury Causes published by the National Safety Council as part of its Injury Facts publication series and “Most Common Workplace Injuries: OSHA 2020 List,” published by EHS Insight Resources on May 11, 2021.
The risk of work accidents that seriously injure or cause the death of the worker is increasing. This is a shocking and unacceptable truth. After all, these are preventable accidents. There are six known overall hazards. Laws create duties of worker safety for employers. There are additional industrial standards explaining how to keep workers safe on the job.
Still, workers remain unprotected on the job, fatality rates are rising, and safety regulations continue to be ignored.
When a worker is severely injured on the job site, state and federal laws can help the accident victim and their loved ones seek justice from all those with legal liability for the accident and its consequences. Workers’ compensation; negligence; premises liability; defective products; and other legal protections may provide for things like medical expenses; rehab costs; lost wages; and more.
Read:
- Wrongful Death Damages After Fatal Work Accidents in Illinois or Indiana
- Loss of Earning Capacity Damages After Accident in Illinois or Indiana
- Who Can Claim Damages After a Work Accident in Indiana or Illinois?
- What are Legal Damages After a Work-Related Accident in Indiana or Illinois?
- Loss of Consortium Damages in Illinois or Indiana Work Accidents.
Employers know the risks that workers face on the worksite. It is infuriating to know that despite recognized industrial hazards; the growing safety industry; federal laws; and rising fatality rates, more and more workers continue to be hurt or killed on the job. Please be careful out there!
