Employees spend many waking hours providing a service for a business or industry, expecting that their safety is an employer’s priority. However, far too many workers are at risk of personal injury in Pennsylvania. Unsafe work conditions in Pittsburgh can change your life forever, resulting in preventable personal and professional hardship.
These risky circumstances can result from glaring safety issues, but they are more frequently found when regular procedures are not followed or performed haphazardly. When employers address unsafe work conditions in Pennsylvania, like the ones discussed below, they can provide a safe environment for their workers.
Slip, Trip, and Fall Hazards
Slips, trips, and fall hazards are some of the most harmful dangers on the job and are the second leading cause of injury-related unintended deaths. Recent data by the National Safety Council documented 850 annual workplace deaths as a result of fall accidents in the workplace. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of workers required days off due to the severity of their injuries in a fall.
Slips, trips, and falls are often the result of:
- Spills or wet matter such as water, grease, oil, mud, food, or bodily fluids on smooth surfaces
- Dry substances, including granules, chips, powders, or dusts
- Highly polished areas that may be slippery even when dry
- Irregular surfaces, damaged stairways, or loose carpets and tiles
- Exposed hoses, wiring, and cords
- Clutter in walkways and aisles
- Misplaced tools and work implements
While slips, falls, and trips are not the leading cause of occupational-related deaths, they result in the most lost days at work. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the construction industry accounted for 46.1% of the annual slip, trip, and fall accidents resulting in fatality.
Improper or Lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
PPE is vital to reducing workers’ exposure to hazardous materials or situations. PPE may also prevent future long-term illnesses due to chemical exposure in Pittsburgh’s workplaces. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), employers must provide PPE, ensuring it is appropriately used when effective controls cannot be implemented to provide protection. Without the use of or training on the need for PPE, the following unsafe work conditions may occur:
- Chemical exposure: This can result in damage to the eyes, respiratory tract, and mucous membranes when safety glasses, respirators, or the use of various PPE is not enforced or supplied.
- Burn dangers: These could stem from a lack of gloves, protective suits, face shields, and other gear.
- Loud environments: Excessive noise can lead to hearing loss that could be mitigated by the use of earplugs or muffs.
- Impact threats: Injury by moving machinery or equipment, falls leading to injuries, falling objects, and other situations that require the use of a hard hat or steel-toed shoes.
- Fall hazards: These are created by a lack of or damaged safety harnesses without lock-out tag-out procedures in place.
Unsafe work conditions in Pennsylvania may arise when employees are not trained on when PPE is needed and the type of protection required to help prevent injury.
Employees should also receive training on how to wear it properly, adjust the equipment for optimal safety, and remove it safely. PPE does not last forever, and its inspection and replacement are necessary to ensure a safe work environment in Pennsylvania.
Struck-By Accidents
Pennsylvania workers often operate in fast-paced environments while using multiple tools and varying types of equipment. Severe injury may occur without safety protocol or a lack of attention due to distraction or rushed deadlines.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (Pg. 48), 20.8% of injuries in the workplace in the Commonwealth are the result of struck-by accidents due to these unsafe work conditions:
- Objects falling or sliding from above causing injury
- Swinging objects often attached to cranes, trucks, and other heavy equipment
- Unsecured building materials striking workers
- Objects rolling or slipping out of place, striking a worker
Other than overexertion, struck-by accidents contribute most to workplace injuries.
Defective or Malfunctioning Equipment
Maintaining equipment for its safe use may significantly reduce unsafe work conditions. Operating equipment on a job is often performed without much thought due to familiarity and the repetitive motions required to complete a task. Poorly maintained equipment and machinery in the workplace may create these unsafe workplace conditions:
- Crush injuries caused by worn gears, defective cutters or blades, or heavy presses
- Electrical shock from wire exposure that causes electrical shock
- Steam, chemical, or heat burns due to faulty hydraulic valves, cracked seals, and leaks
- Trap potentials in large tanks, pipes, and equipment vessels
Deaths resulting from contact with work equipment and objects have reached the highest count in recent history, as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Machinery injuries resulted in 199 work-related fatalities, a 4.7% increase in these on-the-job deaths. According to their data, occupations in forestry, farming, and fishing suffered the most significant fatalities annually.
Transportation and Equipment Operations Errors
The BLS report also shows that transportation incidents significantly contribute to unsafe work conditions, resulting in fatalities.
The findings documented 37.7% of occupational fatalities occurring due to unsafe transportation operation in the workplace.
The following unsafe conditions and practices compound inadequacies found in transportation and equipment operations:
- Inoperable seat belts
- Broken horns
- Burned-out reverse lights and headlights
- Improperly trained equipment operators
- Worn tires
- Drug and alcohol use
- Improperly maintained fleet
According to OSHA, on-the-job crashes resulting in injury cost employers approximately $74,000 on average per incident. A fatality resulting from a transportation accident or error can cost an employer up to $500,000.
Discuss Your Injuries from Unsafe Work Conditions in Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania workers have the right to a safe working environment. Injuries resulting from unsafe work conditions may produce life-altering injuries that lead to financial difficulties, health complications, and a reduced quality of life.
Proving a workplace injury is the result of negligence may be challenging. Third parties may also be responsible for unsafe conditions in the workplace. The personal injury attorneys at SMT Legal can help you successfully navigate a Pittsburgh work injury caused by unsafe conditions.