MIAMI WAREHOUSE ACCIDENT LAWYERS
Warehouse Accidents at Work
There are thousands of warehouses across the United States, each employing countless people to carry out tasks needed for it to be operational. However, warehouses are far from the safest work environments.
Working in a warehouse is usually loud, physically demanding, and involves working at heights – all of these elements create high levels of risk. In fact, studies estimate that around 7 in 100 warehouse employees will suffer an injury while at work at some point during their lifetime.
While some workplace injuries are fairly minor and have few repercussions, others can be catastrophic, both for you and your family. If you have been involved in a warehouse accident, you may find yourself facing extensive medical and rehabilitation bills as a result of the treatment needed to return you to full health and mobility.
You may have lost wages due to time off work, or you may not be able to return to your previous job at all thanks to the injuries that you have sustained. You may be facing permanent disability that prevents you from working whatsoever. Devastating as it may be, you could be one of the few people who has lost a loved one to a workplace accident, and their untimely passing is a direct result of the injuries that they sustained while in their place of employment.
Whatever your circumstances, if you have been involved in a warehouse accident at work that wasn’t your fault, your employer could be held liable and you could be entitled to worker’s compensation for the damages and suffering that you have incurred.
Types of warehouse accidents
There are many different types of incidents that can occur when working in a warehouse. However, some accidents are more common than others. Some of the most reported warehouse accidents include:
- Chemical spills
- Slips and trips
- Falls from height
- Crush injuries from equipment
- Material handling accidents, for example, containers and boxes that have been dropped
- Fires
- Forklift accidents and other vehicle-based injuries
- Strains and sprains
- Pulled muscles
- Pinched nerves
- Back pain
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Burns
Although rare, some types of warehouse injury have proved to be fatal.
Why do warehouse accidents occur?
In such a high-risk environment, workers are dependent on everyone taking the correct safety precautions, obeying health and safety instructions and using common sense.
Unfortunately, the majority of warehouse accidents occur as a result of human error, either through negligence on the part of the other worker or through lack of training and support from the employer. For this reason, it is impossible to list all of the reasons why warehouse accidents occur. However, here are some of the most common causes:
- Inadequate training, be it on how to fulfill their role or general health and safety precautions they must take working in a warehouse
- Lack of appropriate safety equipment provided
- Failure to wear appropriate safety equipment
- Failure to report hazards such as spills, loose wires
and boxes in pathways - Poor lighting
- Incorrect operation of machinery
- Incorrect operation of a forklift
- Speeding
- Failure to adhere to roadway markings in the warehouse
If you have been involved in a warehouse accident while at work, you could be entitled to worker’s compensation. However, actually pursuing a claim can be a lengthy and stressful experience, especially if you are trying to pursue your case while you are still recovering from your accident.
By putting your trust in the hands of an experienced workers compensation attorney, you can rest assured that you have a professional operating on your behalf and with your best interests at heart.
Our expert lawyers have the knowledge and skill needed to build you a strong, persuasive case and we will represent you every step of the way, allowing you to focus on what is important, regaining your health.
To schedule your complimentary, no-obligation case review with our experienced team of workers compensation attorney, please contact the Law Offices of Juan Lucas Alvarez in Coral Gables, FL today by calling 305-442-7375.
