Industrial Accident Attorneys

The chemical industry and other manufacturing facilities have long been a vital part of life in Louisiana. However, it is also an industry that carries a hight amount of risk for those who work in it. With complex machinery, scaffolding, dangerous chemicals, and high pressure systems, injuries are bound to happen. And when industrial injuries do happen, they can be severe often resulting in death or disability. Often times an injured worker’s claims will fall under worker’s compensation, which is a special set of laws that control what an injured worker can recover for. However, there are many times when companies work side-by-side on a project and when one company’s actions cause injury to an employee of another company, worker’s compensation may not apply.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets regulations and protocols for the industry and those who work in it. According to OSHA, the number one most-violated OSHA s

The ten most cited violations according to the Occupational Safety and Health Association:

• Fall Protection
• Hazard Communications
• Scaffolding
• Respiratory Protection
• Powered Industrial Trucks
• Lockout/Tagout
• Ladders
• Electrical and Wiring Methods
• Machine Guarding
• Electrical and General Requirements

Numerous repercussions can occur as a result of violating safety regulations. While some injuries can be more severe than others, it is important to know the risks and abide by all safety codes to avoid injury or death.

Possible injuries that can occur from industrial accidents are:

• • Amputated Limbs or Decapitated Limbs
  • Scarring
  • Disfigurement in various parts of the body
  • Back or neck injuries, that at times may cause permanent damage
  • Spinal cord injuries, which can often lead to paralysis
  • Blindness
  • Deafness
  • Brain Injury or Damage
  • Long-term impairment that can result in the inability to work and make a living wage
  • Death
  • Falls are the most common cause of all of the injuries stated above. However, there are three other types of accidents that occur each year, and more often than not, result in fatalities.
  • Struck by an Object: this occurs as a result of flying or falling construction objects or tools or could involve being stuck by a construction worker’s vehicle.
  • Electrocutions: this is caused by a lack of ground, direct contact with any power lines, misuse of cords and equipment, and missing or discontinuous path of a ground wire.
  • Caught between objects: workers can get caught between objects by unsafe soil-pile placement, unsafe access to a certain area, no protective systems, and failure to inspect the safety of all areas and devices.