Some Occupations Have A Higher Risk Of Injury Than Others
Michael Babboni
Personal Injury
Some jobs, such as working in an office, have relatively little exposure to a risk of serious injury. Unfortunately, other jobs carry much higher risks, which is something that all Floridians should be aware of. Even if you get injured on the job, and it’s not your fault, some occupations still expose workers to these injury hazards more regularly. Here are some of the jobs in Florida that carry a higher risk of injury.Delivery
Couriers and people who deliver spend most of their working time on the road, usually bringing packages—or even food and groceries—to people who order them. As a result, they spend a lot of time in heavy traffic areas, moving from one delivery point to another.
This means that because they spend longer amounts of time on the road, their risk of being involved in a traffic accident—even if it’s not their fault—is greater. This is especially true for deliveries running on a deadline, where there may be a temptation to break speed limits and cut corners on obeying traffic regulations to deliver something on time.
Truckers
Like delivery people within a city, truckers spend more of their profession on the road. However, truckers face other hazards and a greater risk of traffic incidents due to road time. Accidents can also occur due to being on the road for too long. Whereas delivery drivers may put themselves at risk by speeding, truckers may do this or be prone to driver error due to exhaustion from not sleeping to meet a delivery deadline or an altered state of consciousness due to drugs and other stimulants to stay awake.
An added wrinkle to this is that the size of a commercial freight hauling truck is much larger than other vehicles on streets, freeways, and highways. Accidents involving trucks tend to magnify the severity of injuries due to a truck's much greater size and mass.
Roofers
Unfortunately, Florida is a very active weather region, so many buildings sustain roof damage during harsh storms and even more intense hurricanes. This requires many roofing companies to keep staff busy on top of buildings, repairing the damage done by these weather events.
Unsurprisingly, the significant height, combined with accidents or carelessness, can sometimes result in people falling. Falls from that height, however, can often result in serious injuries.
Construction
As with roofers, those working on construction sites are exposed to the risk of injury daily. However, the hazards here are more varied. In addition to falls from great heights, workers below are at risk from falling objects such as tools or building components that may be accidentally knocked off.
Electrocution from various generators, tools, and other mechanisms, as well as vehicular accidents when dump trucks, cranes, and other vehicles, don’t always see workers as they move into positions required for the next phase of construction.
Injuries at the workplace can, unfortunately, be a common event. But if your injury results from another’s negligence in the workplace, talk to a personal injury attorney with experience in workplace injuries to find out what your next move should be.