Workers in the automotive, construction, forestry, maintenance, mining and transportation industries, and similar fields, can face a range of safety risks. This includes hazards coming from the tools, vehicles and equipment they use as part of their job. Among the things that can expose workers to problems are the vibrations coming from such equipment.
Workers can experience significant vibrations from a wide range of devices used on the job. Power tools such as jackhammers, grinders, riveters, drills and chain saws can expose a worker’s arms to vibrations. Meanwhile, whole-body vibrations can come when operating work vehicles.
Long-term exposure to vibrations can cause significant harm to a worker’s health. When it happens in the arm area, it can lead to hand-arm vibration syndrome. This condition can expose workers to pain, numbness and reduced function in their hands and fingers.
Meanwhile, prolonged exposure to whole-body vibration can lead to spinal issues, back pain and musculoskeletal disorders.
Given this, what efforts employers use to try to reduce vibration risks for workers matter a great deal. Things that could help with injury prevention on this front include: keeping tools and equipment in good condition, limiting worker exposure to vibration (through things such as task rotation and breaks), providing proper safety training on tool/equipment use and using vibration dampening/isolating technologies and techniques. How do you think companies in Florida do when it comes to protecting their workers from vibration dangers?
When workers are injured through exposure to vibration (or other physical stresses) at work, they can face challenges when it comes to protecting their future. For example, they can encounter difficulties in obtaining the workers’ compensation benefits they need to help them and their family cope with the effects of the injury. Skilled attorneys can assist workers with fighting for the benefits they deserve in the face of such difficulties.