According to data from Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 121,300 recordable workplace injuries in the state of Ohio in a recent year, 37,200 of which resulted in days away from work. These workplace injuries affected not just workers, but their families as well.
Workers' compensation benefits should protect injured workers from financial loss and should provide for families when a loved one is killed on-the-job. Still, workers' comp benefits cannot bring back good health that is lost due to permanent injury, and benefits cannot make up for the loss of a family member.
Workers need to understand the very real dangers they face on-the-job, as well as the types of injuries which can result in workers' compensation benefits.
Many different kinds of injuries can happen to Ohio employees on-the-job. Some examples of common injury causes include:
- Exposure to toxic substances: WHIO reported two workers suffered injuries when a problem developed gas line they were doing work on. A communications managed indicated "something went wrong," which resulted in blowing gas. Breathing in gas or other noxious chemicals or toxins can make workers sick. Both immediate and long-term symptoms can result from exposure to many different types of toxins, ranging from asbestos to hazardous chemicals.
- Crushing injuries: A worker from Ohio was assisting with tree cutting efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew when a tree pinned him to the ground and crushed him. According to News Journal Online, the man's company had traveled to Northern Volusia to assist with hurricane cleanup. The worker was cutting up a tree on the ground when another large piece of tree fell on him and killed him.
- On the job fires or explosions: Cincinnati.com reported on a tragic explosion which resulted in a young worker dying of burn injuries in Ohio. The worker had been on the job with a hazardous waste management firm in Spring Grove Village for only a short period of time when an explosion occurred at 11:11 PM and burned 90 percent of the man's body. He later died from his severe burn injuries. Cincinnati.com indicated his family had difficulty obtaining death benefits for the workplace fatality, despite the fact workers' compensation is supposed to provide such benefits when a worker is killed doing his or her work tasks.
These are just a few of many work injuries that affect Ohio employees. Any time you get hurt or sick while on-the-job, you should talk with a legal professional to determine whether your injuries are considered work-related. If the injuries are tied to job duties, you should be entitled to workers' compensation benefits.