Incidents or accidents can happen at any workplace, but some injuries can be life-threatening and scary. These long-term injuries are known as catastrophic injuries that leave a long-lasting impact on the physical, emotional, and financial aspects. If you are an employee, you must know about the devastating injuries and what you can do if you are in these situations carrying severe injuries.
Therefore, this article will study what employees should know about catastrophic injuries and what they can do after such incidents. So, let’s ponder this point and unravel the important aspects of catastrophic injuries.
What are Common Causes of Catastrophic Injuries?
These injuries can occur due to various factors ranging from accidents to traumatic incidents or occupational hazards. So, if you are an employee, you should know the common causes of catastrophic injuries so that you can safeguard yourself from these injuries.
- Accidents and traumatic events include falls from heights, vehicle accidents, and machinery malfunctions. These causes can lead to risky events, and malfunctioning or inadequate care can lead to severe injuries.
- Some occupational hazards, such as toxic substances, repetitive stress injuries, explosions, and fires, cause catastrophic injuries.
What are Legal and Financial Implications that Employees Should Know?
- Workers Compensation: In catastrophic injuries, the employees who suffer injuries are paid compensation; therefore, if there is a severe injury, one has to claim compensation. The compensation will cover the medical costs, rehabilitation costs, and the portion of lost wages.
- Lawsuits and Personal Injury Claims: In catastrophic injuries, one can file a lawsuit against the responsible party for personal injury. In this lawsuit, you can claim the worker’s compensation and cover all the damages for pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and future medical expenses. You can also claim compensation for negligence and get professional help in recovering all your losses.
What are Preventions for Catastrophic Injuries?
- Catastrophic injuries can be prevented using personal protective equipment and maintenance of such equipment, which can cause employee injury.
- You can also prevent such events with proper employee training and education about using the equipment. The employees should be aware of the potential risks and create a safe work practice for emergency procedures.
- Regular risk assessment tests and hazard mitigation must occur by taking proactive actions.
- Employees should be encouraged to participate in employee engagement and empowerment programs to be part of a safe working environment.
Leave a Reply