Category: Workers’ Compensation

Following safety guidelines while working with aerial lifts may help prevent some potentially serious workplace accidents. Aerial lifts have increased in popularity at job sites including construction, warehousing, and telecommunications.

Calculating the correct fall clearance when using personal fall arrest systems may help prevent serious or fatal workplace injuries. Particularly when the accidents occur from heights, workers may suffer serious injuries or death due to falling.

Taking precautions regarding noise in the workplace may help workers prevent occupational hearing loss. One of the most common chronic physical conditions affecting adults in the U.S., hearing difficulties often result from work-related exposures. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that occupational causes account for approximately 24% of the hearing difficulty among the working population in the United States.

Physicians may release Nevada workers to return to their jobs after their occupational injuries or illnesses have improved. However, when and how they make the transition back to work could impact people’s continued recovery, as well as their workers’ compensation benefits.

Methylene chloride-based paint thinners can cause serious illness or death for Las Vegas workers. According to a USA Today report, at least 13 workers died in 2000 alone due to the use of paint strippers containing this toxic chemical. Whether exposed through contact with the skin or inhalation of the fumes, a researcher from Michigan State University’s Division of Occupational Medicine points out that exposure to as little as a tablespoon of methylene chloride may prove fatal.

Unique workplace hazards put window washers in Las Vegas at risk for suffering serious occupational injuries or death. Keeping the windows of the area’s numerous hotels clean and clear for tourists and other guests, window washers work outside of buildings, suspended above the street, and often hundreds of feet in the air. The nature of their work presents significant dangers and opportunities for work-related accidents.

While workplace fatalities have declined in Nevada, more work needs to be done to prevent accidents from happening. Workplace fatalities fell slightly in 2017 from 2016. While this is good news, there are several areas of concern that need to be addressed. Construction deaths continue to be a problem and accounted for 19% of the fatalities that occurred. Other problem areas include workplace violence, workers getting struck by objects, and transportation incidents. These types of accidents made up 70% of the fatalities that occurred. Fall fatalities were of particular concern, accounting for 17% of the accidents and reaching their highest level in 26 years.

Exposure to carbon monoxide gas on a job site can cause permanent or fatal injuries. Employers are required to provide workers with a safe working environment that limits exposure to this dangerous inhaled substance. Workers should also receive training about the dangers of carbon monoxide.