Injury Risks Faced by White Collar Workers - Workers Compensation Lawyer
By James M. Hoffmann
Mar. 27, 2017 10:15a
Every worker faces the risk of injuries, whether it is a worker in the manufacturing industry handling heavy machinery, a mason in the construction industry working on heights, a nurse in the healthcare industry handling sick patients, or a white collar professional in the IT or sales department of a corporate office. While most assume that white collar professionals do not face risks of injury at work, the reality is that thousands of white collar professionals become victims of work related injuries each year. Our St. Louis work injury attorneys discusses this in detail.
Types of Work related injuries white collar professionals suffer
Slips and falls
Data from the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) shows that white collar professionals face the greatest risk of injury from slips and falls at the workplace due to loose floor electrical wiring, improperly placed objects, using chairs and stools for reaching shelves at a height, wet floors, and poor lighting in office spaces. Apart from these, there are a host of other injuries that white collar professionals experience at the workplace.
Stress and strains
Most white collar professionals are required to work seated for long periods of time. This causes strains and stress in the back, neck, shoulders, wrists, fingers, and eyes. Back pain is common among those lifting heavy objects or file paperwork in the office, as well as due to non-ergonomic office furniture.
Repetitive stress injury
Repetitive stress injuries among white collar professional are often seen in the wrists and fingers due to prolonged use of computers. The constant bending of the neck and the improper arching of the back can cause back and neck strains. Continuous typing can cause pain in the fingers and the wrist muscles.
Professions and related injuries
Each industry and job has certain specific injuries that are more commonly seen among those employed.
Airline Industry
Those in the airline industry face as many injury risks as those in the blue collar industry. Pilots, in-flight attendants as well technical airline crew face risks of slips and falls on the tarmac, risk of being struck by heavy, mobile materials such as luggage, catering or fuel tank vehicle in the prep area. They can suffer temporary or permanent hearing injuries due to the high decibels of noise emanating from jet engines. Moreover due to the nature of their job that requires traveling long distances in a short while, pilots and in-flight crew face stress due to time changes.
Architects and engineers in the construction industry
Architects and engineers have to divide their time between the construction sites as well their office desks. Therefore they face double the risks of injury – from hazards at the construction sites as well as strains and stress of a desk job.
According to NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), there is a significant need to address the white collar worker injury due to stressful working environment. These stressful work conditions set the stage for neglecting safety norms, and thus for serious workplace injuries. White collar professionals like real estate agents, stock brokers, medical professionals, and IT professionals often become victims of stress-induced chronic diseases and injuries.
White collar professional who are injured at work or have faces any stress induced injury / disease should contact a St. Louis work injury lawyer for any assistance with their workers compensation claim. Call (314) 361-4300 for a free case evaluation.
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