When you work in an office environment, getting an injury might initially seem like something you are well protected from and will never have to deal with in your current line of work. However, believe it not, you can actually be susceptible to many potential accidents that can cause you harm
To help you avoid these injuries, this quick guide is going to walk you through three of the most common office mishaps and also what to do to avoid them and if you have been hurt nonetheless.
- Repetitive strain injury
If you work in an office, it is highly likely that you will be at a desk for the majority of each working day, using a computer. This might sound like a harmless enough task, but it is actually increasingly common for such work to cause repetitive strain injury. If you don’t know what that is, Repetitive Strain Injury is defined as:
A condition where pain and other symptoms occur in an area of the body which has done repetitive tasks (often the arms or hands). Repetitive strain means strain related to actions which are frequently repeated.
You can find out more information about repetitive strain injury online so that you can make a qualified opinion about whether you are in the risk zone and what you can do to avoid this pain.
The best thing, for now, is to take a break once every half an hour and flex your hands and arms to increase comfort and decrease your chance of injury.
- Tripping over
It might sound strange, but a huge accident issue in an office workplace is the simple misfortune of tripping over. The common causes of tripping in an office include stumbling over open desk drawers, getting caught up in cords and wires tangled on the floor, and bumping into stray objects blocking hallways.
Your office should have a policy about protecting staff from these accidents, but if not, the best way you can prevent this is to draw up and propose a set of guidelines for keeping the office tidy.
- Lifting heavy items
The final most common injury that you can get at the office is back and shoulder injuries from lifting heavy objects. This might not be something you do every day, however you may still have occasions where heavy lifting is carried out. Whether you are transporting lots of files and papers, or getting supplies from the stationary cupboard, employers have a responsibility to train you in being safe while doing this.
The simplest rules are to bend the knee when picking something up and always hold objects close to your body. If unfortunately, you do slip and fall due to lack of protective equipment, it is recommended by workers compensation attorney Nathan Goin that you check your rights for a claim. Maybe you can acquire compensation money for your medical bills and time lost during recovery.
What do you do when this happens?
Should you get an injury at the office, be it one of those outlined above or something totally different, you need to know what you can do to get justice. The Compensation Experts are a great place to start as they can give you expert legal advice about how to make a personal injury claim with florida injury lawyers.
This is a particularly important step to take if you need to take time off of work because the money rewarded will help to keep you and your family afloat.