It can happen to anybody — you are at work, maybe you’re on a ladder or the floor is slick, you lose your balance and gravity does the rest. You are the latest victim of a workplace slip-and-fall. You are injured, and you must miss work for a few days or longer. That’s if the fall does not completely incapacitate or kill you.
Unfortunately, falls are common in New Hampshire and throughout the United States. In fact, they are the third-highest cause of unintentional deaths each year in America. Workers in construction are at the greatest statistical risk of a fatal fall, but falls can happen at any workplace.
An employee can fall from a higher floor to a lower one or slip and fall to the same floor. Either way, it is going to hurt and there could be serious damage.
- High falls — Falling to a lower level is the third-highest cause of workplace deaths and the fourth-leading cause of missing days from work in the U.S. A reported 615 employees were killed and 52,510 got injured from it in 2018.
- Low falls — Falling to the same level is the second-highest preventable workplace injury that can result in missing days from work. In 2018, 154 workers died from falls, and 147,390 reported injuries, according to the National Safety Council.
Preventing falls from any height — and workplace safety in general — should always be a top priority. When working from heights, it is critical to use safety equipment properly to prevent falls. It is also important to spot potentially hazardous situations ahead of time and take precautions to minimize those dangers, including notifying your supervisor immediately about the problematic scenario.
Hazardous circumstances involved in workplace falls often include slippery, messy or unstable surfaces, edges without railings, holes in floors or walls, improperly positioned ladders and misused or lacking fall protection.
If you or a loved one are injured or killed in a work-related fall, it is vital you understand your legal rights and seek financial compensation for your suffering from your employer with the help of an experienced New Hampshire attorney.