Personal Injury – Repetitive Strain
Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of many repetitive strain injuries that occur in the workplace. As a personal injury lawyer Dekalb County GA residents look to can attest, repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) inconvenience hundreds of thousands of employees each and every year. Any conditions that affects the musculoskeletal system, including the tendons, muscles, nerves, and joints in the chest, shoulders, arms, hands, neck, and upper or lower back are classified as repetitive strain injuries; these injuries are also one of the most costly injuries to companies. The fact of the matter is that out of all possible injuries on the job, repetitive motion injuries tend to cause the longest work absences. What does an injury like this mean for you or your loved one? The following explains.
Because there are certain jobs that require a lot of repetitive motion (writers and data entry professionals who must type, workers in the manufacturing industry who perform similar tasks throughout the day, etc.), there are ways that employers can help to reduce the risk of RSI injuries among their employers. To avoid a possibly costly situation with employees being plagued by repetitive strain injuries, the following precautions can be taken:
- Ensuring employees understand proper lifting procedures,
- Reducing additional stress within the workplace,
- Keeping production levels at a manageable pace for employees,
- Automating jobs that may place human employees at risk for injury,
- Ensuring tools work properly and are not any heavier than necessary,
- Permitting short but frequent rest breaks,
- Allowing regular task changes so other muscle groups are used,
- Avoiding any jobs that require awkward or dangerous body mechanics, and
- Performing regular machinery maintenance to prevent excessive use of force.
Despite all of the necessary care being taken to ensure that your job is done as accurately and efficiently as possible, care must be taken in the work place for those who perform tasks require repetitive motions. While precautions are taken, there is always a possibility of incident. If you or someone you know has been affected by repetitive strain injuries due to the requirements of your job, you should locate and speak with someone to get some direction. In the event you or someone you know has been the victim of circumstances similar to the ones previously mentioned, please contact an attorney to get assistance. There is nothing wrong with taking the time out to speak with a trained professional who can better articulate the next step, if any.
Thanks to our friends and contributors from Andrew R. Lynch, P.C. for their insight into finding an attorney.
