North Carolina and other states are experiencing surges in the number of older workers employed in many jobs, and this change will impact some aspects of occupational safety. Reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment...
Year: 2015
Protecting health care employees from workplace chemicals
Health care employees in North Carolina and across the United States are thoroughly trained on how to avoid exposure to bloodborne pathogens while at work. However, these workers face many other hazardous chemicals at hospitals and other health care facilities every...
Facts regarding the most common work-related accidents
One of the top five causes of workers' compensation claims in the U.S. are injuries from trips, slips and falls, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin. However, North Carolina employees and their employers can reduce these types...
Safety around electricity on the job
When people in North Carolina have jobs that require them to work around electricity, it is important for them to understand the potential hazards so they can avoid serious injury or even death. While the damage from electrical shock will depend on the length of...
HAVS risk and using power tools at work
North Carolina workers who are exposed to hand-arm vibrations from using power tools on their jobs have a significant risk of developing hand-arm vibration syndrome, or HAVS. Out of 2 million workers whose jobs involve the regular use of power tools, an estimated 1...
Protecting against warehouse accidents
As North Carolina owners of warehouses or distribution centers know, workplace accidents may result in injuries to employees and fines by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Using appropriate safety techniques and training methods to protect workers...
Opt-out clauses leave workers in some states with fewer benefits
In North Carolina, most employers are still required to provide employees with access to workers' compensation benefits, but that is not the case in two other states, and more could be following their lead. Both Oklahoma and Texas offer employers "opt-out" clauses in...
Deadliest occupations nationwide in 2014
According to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, there were 4,679 fatal work injuries in 2014. This might make workers in North Carolina wonder what jobs had the highest number of fatal injuries and injury...
24-hour work shifts double the risk of EMS worker injuries
When an emergency worker responds to a call in North Carolina, he or she might have been on duty for nearly 24 hours. Shifts of this length are common among emergency services employees, and a study published in a peer-reviewed journal found that longer shifts...
North Carolina’s wrongful death statute explained
When a person in North Carolina has been killed due to the negligence or wrongful actions of another, the decedent's surviving family members may be able to pursue a wrongful death civil lawsuit against the person whose actions resulted in their loved one's death. The...