Workplace injuries in California are a common occurrence in many lines of work. Whether serious or not, a work injury that causes even a few missed days of work can have serious effects on the worker’s finances. Workers’ compensation benefits can help alleviate some of this financial strain imposed by medical bills incurred as well as to compensate the employee for wages due to being out of work.
Such is the case of a California worker who was seriously injured on the job. The window washer was working on the roof of a building in San Francisco late last November. He lost his balance and fell 11 stories before landing on a moving vehicle. Both he and the driver of the automobile survived, but both sustained serious injuries.
According to the findings of Cal/OSHA’s investigation, the worker’s employer was found to be at fault for the worker’s injury and was cited for numerous safety hazards. Two of the them were serious violations, and they were related to a lack of fall protection equipment on the roof as well as inadequate training for it. Cal/OSHA recently concluded a state-wide campaign that focused on how important fall safety protection really is, as the leading cause of fatalities and injuries among workers is due to falls from elevation.
When a work injury occurs, the worker is often eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. These benefits can help lessen some of the financial pressures that result from being injured on the job, such as helping pay for medical bills as well as lost pay. A meeting with an attorney experienced with workers’ compensation claims is often one of the first actions a worker injured on the job should consider taking.
Source: workerscompensation.com, “Cal/OSHA finds employer at fault in window washer’s fall“, May 21, 2015