When an employee has been injured on the job in the state of Minnesota, our system of workers’ compensation is there to protect their financial interests. Over the years workers have certainly been exposed to fewer occupational hazards, although still some onsite injuries are inevitable.
Workers’ compensation coverage covers an array of injuries ranging from a one-time incident to injuries that arise from repeated, overuse of a body part or area. Given that many manual labor jobs require the same repetitive motion to build, repair, or construct, it will come as no surprise that many work-related injuries come from overuse of a body part.
The following is a list of the most common work-related injuries in our state:
Musculoskeletal Injuries
This is an injury caused by overexertion of a muscle group, fatigue of a muscle group, prolonged posture, or heavy lifting. This type of injury is so common because it can come from sitting in a desk chair for too long or from mild to intense manual labor. For mild cases chiropractic care or massage therapy can help alleviate the tension and misalignment that causes musculoskeletal pain.
A preventative measure can be to ask your employer about ergonomic equipment, tools that are designed to avoid overuse of one particular area of the body. Frequent stretching can help avoid muscle exhaustion or tension.
Slip and Fall Injuries
A slip and fall injury covers a wide variety of injuries that result after a person comes into forceful contact with the ground or another object. The most common reason this happens on the job is that the floor is not clear of debris, or the lighting in the area is poor. Another often seen cause of this injury is wet, icy, or slippery flooring. An abrupt fall to the floor can cause residual injury to your back or neck but can also affect any area of your body that you use to try to stop your fall (knee, wrist, forearms, etc.).
The best way to avoid this type of injury is to keep your workspace clean and uncluttered and to always pay attention to the ground where you are walking.
Repetitive Motion Injuries
This is another category of injury that can affect those in the office or the field. In the office a common injury from repetitive motion is carpal tunnel syndrome (an injury to the wrist area from the overuse of hands and fingers). In the field this injury can come from shoveling, concrete laying, lifting, or really any other form of manual exertion that causes you to make the same motion over and over again.
Physical therapy and at-home exercises can help even out the tension between your muscles and relieve the pain in your overused muscles.
What We Can Do
If you have been injured on the job you may need a workers’ compensation attorney to represent your interests. It’s possible that you won’t receive the full compensation you are entitled to, your workers’ compensation doctor will send you back to work too early, or your claim may be denied altogether. You worked hard, now let Minnesota’s workers’ compensation attorneys go to work for you. Contact the Kohlmeyer Hagen Law Office today for a consultation. Call 507-405-2442.