Most Common Workers’ Compensation Injuries

Hip and knee injuries, especially ones that require surgery or reconstruction, can occur from blunt trauma, repetitive stress, or simple aging. Acts such as lifting, crawling on an already injured knee, slipping and falling, or maneuvering in tight spaces or on ladders can result in injury. Workers may have claims against others, in addition to an employer, if a third-party is involved.

Repetitive stress or strain injuries involve conditions that arise from placing excessive stress on a joint by performing the same or similar actions again and again. The most frequent repetitive stress injuries are tendinitis and bursitis. Stress to a joint pulls on surrounding tissues, including tendons, muscles, and bursae. Without time to recover, the affected area swells and becomes painful.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is compression of the median nerve that runs through the carpal tunnel and is most commonly associated with long spells of typing on a keyboard. Primary symptoms of CTS include sporadic numbness of the thumb, index, long and radial side of the ring finger. Long-standing CTS can result in serious and permanent nerve damage, with workers eventually experiencing constant numbness, atrophy, and weakness of muscles in the hand.

Construction jobs rank among the most dangerous work in the U.S. thousands of Washington workers are killed or seriously injured each year. Frequent injuries include:

• Scaffolding accidents
• Falls
• Crane accidents
• Accidents involving compressed gases or chemicals
• Defective machinery or equipment
• Explosions
• Welding and cutting accidents

Construction Site Third-Party Claims

Workers may be eligible to bring a third-party claim for additional compensation and benefits when someone other than the employer contributes to a construction site injury, or if an accident takes place off-site. Unlike workers’ compensation claims, there is practically no limit to the amount of awards in third-party liability claims. This means an injured worker may receive further medical benefits, time-loss compensation, and additional damages for personal pain and suffering.

Work-related injuries are traumatic and can affect more than just your physical health. While outward physical symptoms can be the easiest to recognize, anxiety and depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and other mental illness can also develop when an injury or illness causes prolonged pain, prevents someone from carrying on their work, or alters the nature of their family and social life or personal activities. While mental conditions cannot be diagnosed with a stethoscope or x-ray, it is important to identify and treat these conditions so that a patient’s mental and emotional state do not impair a their ability to return to work, or even their daily life. We take mental health as seriously as any other physical injury and will fight to ensure that you get the full treatment you need from your L&I claim.

An industrial disease is defined as a chronic condition or illness that occurred as a result of an injured worker’s job, career, or work-related functions or activities. The following are some commonly recognized occupational diseases:

• Asthma
• Byssinosis (from exposure to asbestos)
• Coal miner’s pneumoconiosis (black lung)
• Eczema
• Urticaria
• Skin cancer
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Lead poisoning
• Cancer, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), or other diseases related to exposure to benzene, mold, silica, carbon monoxide, lead paint, chemicals & carcinogens

The illness may have resulted from an initial or prolonged exposure, but the worker must first prove that they came in contact with a substance that caused the illness on the job. If you feel like you developed an occupational disease as a result of workplace exposure to a harmful substance or repetitive stress, call the legal team at Emery | Reddy, PC to see how they can help you identify and pursue an occupational illness L&I claim.

Hearing loss can negatively affect many facets of your life. Not only can it may make you less productive at work, and it can also  detrimentally affect your personal life. If your hearing has been damaged as a result of your work, you may have a valid Labor and Industries claim.

If you experience one or more of the following symptoms, you should take immediate steps to protect your hearing by using earplugs or a headset, making an appointment with an audiologist, ENT, or both, and calling us to discuss a potential claim:

• Muffled sounds or distorted ranges
• Difficulty (or complete loss of) hearing high-pitched sounds
• Ringing, roaring, or rushing sounds in one or both ears (tinnitus)
• Difficulty understanding others
• Having to regularly ask others to repeat themselves