Workplace Injuries

While OSHA claims that workplace injuries are declining a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that many injuries are simply not being reported. Company medical staff is expected to minimize the extent of injuries that do occur.

The report states that many workers do not report their injuries as they are afraid of losing their jobs or being unfairly treated in other ways. Another reason given is that many companies offer prizes, bonuses or other rewards for areas that have the least amount of injuries or illness. One company that was investigated in the GAO report even took a worker to various medical practitioners until they found one that would give a diagnosis that brought the injury down to the level of not needing to be reported. Obviously it is in any company’s best interest to have a low accident report rate, but this should never be at the expense of employees.

 The report goes on to claim that OSHA does not audit or regularly inspect all the workplaces it is supposed to.

If any of these things are happening in your work place it is important that you consult a personal injury lawyer. Many work accidents can be avoided, but if you should be injured at work and it may be due to negligence on the part of your employers you should be compensated. If workers compensation isn’t ‘working’ then go elsewhere.

Additional Legal Web Source: HelpingWorkers.com. Serving clients in Boca Raton and Miami, FL.