Atlanta Unsafe Workplace Accident Lawyers
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, private industry employers in Georgia reported over 78,000 nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2019 alone. That’s two and a half injuries for every 100 workers. Fatal work injuries that year totaled 207. Tragically, these numbers reflect a rising trend in the state over the past decade.
Employers are required to provide a safe workplace for their employees, and they are liable to their workers for accidents and injuries that occur at work. Third parties can also be responsible for causing workplace accidents in many ways as well, in which case injured workers might have claims against their employer as well as the negligent third party. Shiver Hamilton Campbell excels in taking on cases of third-party liability and achieving significant verdicts in the most extreme cases of severe personal injury and wrongful death. If you or a loved one have been hurt in an Atlanta unsafe workplace, or if you are an attorney needing assistance with a difficult case, call Shiver Hamilton Campbell in Atlanta to discuss your case with our experienced and successful Atlanta unsafe workplace accident lawyers. There is a reason why so many Georgia lawyers and law firms ask us to help them with their cases; we fight to win and achieve excellent results.
Government Regulations Demand Safe Work Environments
Safe workplaces aren’t just a good idea; they are required by law. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets and enforces standards for workplace safety in a wide variety of areas, including fall protection, ladders, and scaffolding in the construction industry; and respiratory protection, hazard communication, electrical hazards, fall protection, eye and face protection, and machinery and machine guarding in general industry and other work environments.
Workers who believe their workplace is unsafe can file an OSHA complaint or request that OSHA inspectors visit their worksite for an inspection. An OSHA safety inspector can investigate just about any workplace hazard or safety issue, such as:
- Are workers provided with adequate personal protective equipment?
- Are employers conducting required safety training?
- Evaluate the risk of exposure to chemicals in the workplace. Are chemicals stored properly?
- Are workers forced to work in extreme conditions such as heat?
- Ensure machinery is equipped with safety guards that are functioning properly.
- Ensure goods and materials are stacked safely on shelves.
- Is the employer working to ensure that pathways are kept clear, spills are promptly cleaned up, and tools and merchandise are not left on the floor where they could pose a tripping hazard?
- Are employers conscientious to keep untrained or unqualified workers from operating forklifts or factory machinery?
- Does the workplace have fire safety protocols in place along with adequate fire suppression equipment? Are employees trained in what to do in case of a fire or explosion in the workplace?
Injured Workers Can Recover Significant Compensation After a Workplace Injury
Almost all Atlanta employees are covered by Georgia workers’ compensation insurance. After an injury on the job, covered employees need only file a claim with their employer, and all their medical expenses will be covered by the workers’ comp insurer. Workers’ comp will also replace a portion of the employee’s lost wages while they are out of work, and they can receive a settlement amount if they become permanently disabled.
Workers’ comp is a “no-fault” system; the employee does not have to prove the employer was negligent in order to file a workers’ compensation claim. Even if the employer was negligent, the employee cannot sue the employer but must instead be satisfied with the benefits provided by the workers’ comp insurance.
In some cases, however, a workplace accident might be caused by some third party outside of the employer-employee relationship. Then, the injured worker can sue the negligent third party and hold them accountable for the full measure of tort damages caused, including medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and punitive damages in appropriate cases. Below are some examples of third-party liability in a workplace accident:
- A worker gets into a car wreck on the road while running errands for work, picking up supplies, making deliveries, or traveling between job sites on the clock. The worker can sue the negligent driver who caused the wreck.
- A worker is injured by a defective product at work, such as a defective power tool or piece of machinery or equipment. If the product was defectively designed or defectively built by the manufacturer, the injured worker can sue the product manufacturer and hold them strictly liable for the damages caused by the product defect.
- A worker is injured off-site while working on the unsafe premises of a third party. Property owners have a duty to provide a safe environment for people lawfully on their premises, including workers they have invited on their site to perform a job. So long as the dangerous condition that caused the accident is not a hazard the employee was there to repair, the injured worker can sue the property owner for the harm that resulted.
Call Shiver Hamilton Campbell To Speak With A Atlanta Unsafe Workplace Accident Lawyer
The personal injury and wrongful death attorneys at Shiver Hamilton Campbell take on third-party liability cases involving accidents in unsafe workplaces throughout metro Atlanta. If you have been hurt in a workplace accident in Atlanta or you lost a loved one in a fatal workplace accident, call Shiver Hamilton Campbell at 404-593-0020 for a free consultation. We take on cases involving the most serious catastrophic injuries or wrongful death, and we fight to secure significant compensation for our clients who were hurt because of another’s negligence or wrongful conduct.
