Workers across the nation trust that their employers will do everything possible to keep them safe. Unfortunately, there are times when a company fails to follow proper safety protocol, which can put employees in danger. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has long worked to set guidelines for different industries on how to keep employees safe, both here in Texas and around the country. Recently, it published findings that said one of the most common OSHA citations is a failure to have proper fall prevention. Falls that result in injury or fatality are all-too-common workplace accidents.
Last year, OSHA cited around 15,400 fall protection violations. Even in a general industry job, fall protection is required for workers who could fall from a height of only 4 feet. Falls and other workplace accidents can cost companies a great deal of money. The National Safety Council estimates that U.S. companies pay nearly $1 billion each week for workers’ compensation.
Besides workers’ compensation claims, if the companies involved fail to have proper fall safety measures in place, the potential fines would be very high. A company could be cited for over $130,000 for repeated violations or violations found to be deliberate. Experts recommend that companies get familiar with all OSHA requirements and provide fall protection training for employees. The costs of those measures are much smaller in the long run.
Despite these straightforward ways to prevent workplace accidents such as falls, many employers will still fail to follow proper safety protocol. When that occurs, victims and their families have every right to pursue a workers’ compensation claim or, in certain circumstances, a personal injury claim. An attorney here in Texas with extensive experience in this area of the law can serve as a valuable guide.