Important Things to Know About Lifting Injuries in the Workplace

Workplace injuries are incredibly common in the Mobile area, thanks to our area’s strong industrial workforce and manufacturing industries. While you’ll always have some amount of workplace injuries, many are preventable with appropriate safety precautions, safety gear, and education. Lifting injuries are especially preventable—so why are they so common?

Learn more about lifting injuries and how to prevent them. If you have suffered a workplace injury and you’re owed workers’ compensation, let’s talk. Call Thiry & Caddell at 251-336-3627.

Causes of Lifting Injuries for Mobile, AL Workers

Several mistakes or issues can lead to these injuries. They include:

• Poor lifting technique: The basics of safe lifting are well-known. Unfortunately, many workplaces don’t teach safe lifting or ensure that their employees are following these principles. Lifting with your back or exceeding the limits of what you can safely lift is a one-way ticket to a painful lifting injury.

• Overexertion: The same industries that require employees to lift heavy objects also tend to have rigorous standards for task completion and staying on schedule. This may lead employees to push themselves beyond their physical limits and work when physically exhausted. The more tired you are, the more likely you are to suffer a serious lifting injury.

• Fatigue: Fatigue is a natural outcome of physically demanding work. When employees don’t get enough rest or work unusual hours, there’s a greater likelihood of them working while fatigued and becoming injured.

• Minimal training or enforcement: Employers have an obligation to train employees on proper lifting techniques and then follow up and ensure that employees are following those standards.

Industries At Risk of Lifting Injuries

Workers in any industry in Mobile, AL can suffer lifting injuries, but certain fields are definitely at greater risk. These industries include:

• Healthcare: Many healthcare workers, particularly CNAs and other nursing professionals, spend a significant amount of time lifting patients and helping them ambulate. The weight of a patient plus the fact that they may move during transport puts healthcare workers at great risk of injury.

• Warehouse work: Warehouse employees spend every single day lifting major loads. A lifting injury at some point is almost inevitable.

• Manufacturing: Manufacturing involves using heavy equipment and moving raw materials. Employees are likely to injure themselves while lifting, performing repetitive work motions, and working in uncomfortable or awkward positions.

• Construction: Construction workers handle extremely heavy materials and heavy-duty equipment every day they are on the job. This industry sees a very high number of lifting injuries.

How Mobile, AL Employers Can Minimize This Type of Injury

Employers have an obligation to keep their employees safe whenever and however they can. This starts with proper training. New employees must be taught proper lifting techniques—but it doesn’t stop there. Employers must also check up on workers to verify that they are not getting complacent with their lifts, which is common among experienced employees.

Companies can also provide ergonomic equipment that helps workers shift the load and avoid bearing all of the weight themselves. Another side of this is encouraging team lifting. By spreading a load out among multiple people, workers can minimize their own risk and protect their backs.

Compensation for Injured Workers

Injured workers are entitled to workers’ compensation in Mobile. This is true even if they cause their own injury via unsafe lifting practices or failing to use provided safety equipment. However, time is of the essence after a workplace injury. You should tell your manager or supervisor immediately so they can take steps to report the injury, get you your necessary medical care, and start your workers’ comp claim.

Companies don’t always make this easy. If your employer attempts to tell you that you do not qualify for workers’ compensation or that you don’t get benefits because you are responsible for your injury, you must protect yourself. It’s time to talk to an attorney about workers’ comp injuries and your rights.

Fight for the Compensation You Deserve with Thiry & Caddell

The Mobile, AL workers’ compensation attorneys at Thiry & Caddell can help you fight for what you are owed. Let’s sit down and talk about your legal options. Call us at 251-336-3627 or fill out our online contact form to get started.