How common are back injuries in your industry? Do you know?
Data published in 2020 by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics captured how at least 2.8 million private-sector workers suffered non-fatal workplace injuries on the job that year. At least 28% of them involved strains, tears or sprains. Another 14.55 involved pain or soreness.
Workers most apt to hurt their backs while at work
It may surprise you to learn that employees in the medical professions run a high risk of suffering spinal injuries on the job. Surgeons or dentists may experience an onset of neck and back problems because they spend significant time in an unnatural posture as they hover over their patients. DOL data also shows that at least 80% of caregivers such as nurses and nursing home workers suffer back injuries when lifting, shifting or moving patients.
DOL data shows that medical professionals are on par with construction workers when it comes to back injuries. The latter type of employee spends a significant portion of their day standing on scaffolds or ladders. This factor increases their risk of falling and suffering a spinal cord injury. Construction, warehouse and gardening workers must all engage in repetitive crouching, turning, walking on unstable surfaces and heavy lifting.
What you can do if you hurt your back on the job
South Florida is a bustling area where it seems like everyone knows someone else who works in construction, at an airport as a baggage handler, at a warehouse or in the shipping or the transportation field. The work that employees perform at these jobs here in Ft. Lauderdale and Coral Gables involves a lot of hard work that results in significant back injuries.
Florida law may allow you to receive compensated medical care and lost wages associated with an on-the-job injury. A workers’ compensation attorney can help you with the process and protect your interests if there are any complications.
