For workers in California who’ve experience traumatic brain injuries (TBI), the physical effects are quite well-known. However, there are also a range of emotional and behavioral effects that can greatly impact a person’s like both at work and at home. Understanding these issues is vital to ensure you and your family can access the help you need to make the best recovery possible. Brainline.com highlights common mental symptoms that can occur after a TBI.
Swirling emotions
California construction workers often must work on or near scaffolding, putting them at high risk of injury. In fact, FindLaw reports that per Occupational Safety and Health Administration figures, a full 65 percent of construction workers must work on scaffolds, hoists, tall ladders and/or lifts as part of their jobs.
Constructor Magazine warns its readers that The Bureau of Labor and Statistics’ Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries attributes 72 percent of scaffolding injuries to the following four causes:
If you have noticed recent tingling, numbness or pain in your hand(s), you may suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome caused by your California job. As OrthoInfo.com explains, carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when your median nerve becomes squeezed or compressed as it passes through your wrist.
Your carpal tunnel is a narrow one-inch wide passageway in your wrist surrounded by your carpal bones on its sides and bottom. Your transverse carpal ligament forms the tunnel’s roof. Due to the rigidness of both your bones and the tough tissue of which your ligament is composed, your tunnel has very little stretching capacity.
If you are one of the thousands who work in California's vineyards, you may feel a sense of pride when you see someone enjoying a glass of domestic wine. Truly the fruit of your labors, the wine represents your hard work and dedication to a fragile crop that is subject to many adversities. Vulnerable to weather and natural disasters, a vineyard requires attention to every element, from soil to pests.
However, as a vineyard laborer, you are also vulnerable. When a crop is ripe and ready, the focus of your employer may be on getting the grapes off the vine and ready for the winemaking process. This can mean overlooking some of the dangers on the job that place you at risk for illness and injury.
Our team at the Law Offices of Hussain & Gutierrez has discussed the numerous aspects of workers’ compensation on our blog. As you know, this compensation exists to help you and other Californians financially if you are injured on the job. You are within your rights to file a workers’ compensation claim to cover your medical expenses and lost time while recovering – but did you know that your employer might attempt to discourage it or make you feel like you’ll be punished for filing a claim?
This is known as workers’ compensation retaliation. As FindLaw explains, these claims can raise a company’s insurance costs. This serves as an incentive for employers to create a safer workplace, but bosses often do not like their employees to avail themselves of their right to file a claim.
As a worker in California that spends a lot of time around heavy equipment, you also spend a lot of time risking equipment-related accidents. The Law Offices of Hussain & Gutierrez are here to help if you end up severely hurt due to the equipment that you work with.
There are many dangers that you need to be aware of when working with heavy machinery or equipment. First off, always follow the safety instructions or guidelines when operating these machines. Failure to do so could lead to injury. However, faulty parts can make it so that even following directions precisely still lead to dangerous situations. In some cases, you may not notice these damaged parts until it is too late. In others, poor maintenance may have a role to play in their defectiveness.
You may have heard discussions about the benefits of workers' compensation, how to go about getting the most of your coverage and how to approach a situation where you have been injured in a job-related incident. However, there is rarely much talk about what happens after you have been given compensation and are undergoing recovery in California. Where do you go from here? Will you be able to return to work? Is your employer obligated to re-hire you and allow you to resume your previous responsibilities?
The answer is interesting. Often, it takes a lot of time and adherence to many procedural standards as your employer conducts a thorough analysis into your accident. They will determine whether or not you are eligible for compensation and will designate how much will be received and over what period of time. If your injury requires you to undergo physical therapy, rehabilitation or counseling, they will usually contribute in arranging these services so long as they are in network with what is provided.
As you are aware, loud noises can damage your hearing, as well as cause other physical problems, such as tinnitus and migraines. However, you and other Californians may not realize that chronic noise, even on a quieter level, may have damaging mental effects that can potentially affect your ability to perform your job.
A high level of noise is associated with many industries, such as law enforcement, construction, mining and military work. You don’t have to work in an extremely loud environment to suffer from noise pollution, as the Houston Chronicle explains. All it might take is a busy office or a job with occasional, regular bursts of noise to give you anxiety and other psychological problems.
The hallmark of a construction site in California or anywhere in the country is the hard hat. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires workers to wear hard hats in any circumstance where they may be in danger of an object striking their heads. This is certainly the situation on any construction site. In fact, being struck by an object is one of the most common ways in which a construction worker may suffer injuries.
Because you work construction, you are likely well-aware of the danger of struck-by accidents. While many times, such an event may result in little more than a bruise, there is always the potential for serious and even fatal injuries. In fact, struck-by accidents are the second most frequent cause of death on constructions sites, following closely behind fatal falls.
If you drive a forklift in a California warehouse or distribution center, you may not realize the hazards associated with forklift operations. Your employer should have provided you with comprehensive training for operating a forklift safely, and no employee should operate such a dangerous piece of equipment without proper instruction on its uses and risks.
Nevertheless, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration estimates that almost 100,000 workers suffer injuries resulting from forklift accidents each year. OSHA has established guidelines for the safe use of these machines, and violations of those rules can result in severe penalties. However, more importantly, such violations can place you and your co-workers in grave danger.
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