Common North Carolina Workplace Accidents
Many jobs in North Carolina carry the risk of workplace accidents. Records of workplace fatalities from the North Carolina Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Division (OSH) for the last several years show fatal jobsite accidents in virtually every field.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said in October 2021 that nearly 2.6 million non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses were reported by private industry employers. More than half were serious enough to require days away from work, transfer to a different job or restricted work duties.
Workplace accidents injure workers and cause them to be unable to work every day. When a North Carolina worker is injured on the job, or when a worker dies in a job-site accident, workers’ compensation benefits are supposed to help during the worker’s or surviving family’s recovery.
If you or someone you love in North Carolina has suffered a workplace accident that has kept them from working, call the experienced workers’ compensation lawyers at Hardison & Cochran toll-free at (800) 434-8399 or fill out our online contact form to make sure they get the benefits they need and deserve. You’ll get a response within 24 hours, and your initial consultation is always free.
Workplace Injuries in North Carolina
OSH keeps annual statistics of deaths that occur in jobsite accidents across the state. The OSH reports also list the industry in which these workplace accidents occur. They include:
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Transportation and public utilities
- Wholesale trade
- Retail trade
- Services
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing
- Government
- Finance, insurance and real estate.
Most fatal workplace accidents in North Carolina each year occur in the construction and manufacturing industries, according to OSH. But between October 2020 and 2022, there was at least one fatal accident in each of the industry categories listed above in North Carolina. (The N.C. Department of Labor does not track non-fatal workplace accidents.)
OSH also records the type of accidents that led to workplace deaths each year in North Carolina. For the last few years, they have included:
- Struck by object
- Crushed by object
- Falls
- Caught in / between
- Electrical shock
- Fire / explosion
- Inhalation of toxic fumes.
North Carolina workplace injuries are similar to those identified by the Liberty Mutual Insurance Company’s annual Workplace Safety Index of serious workplace injuries in the United States:
- Overexertion (from lifting, holding, carrying, pushing, pulling and/or throwing)
- Falling to the same level
- Falling to a lower level
- Adverse bodily reactions (caused by bending, reaching, climbing, standing, sitting, slipping and/or tripping without falling)
- Being struck by an object (such as something falling from above)
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Being caught in or compressed by objects or machinery
- Being struck against objects (including walking into or being pushed into walls or doors)
- Repetitive motion injuries (i.e., repeated stress or strain)
- Violence (i.e., assault).
Workplace accidents can lead to serious, long-lasting and costly injuries. Common North Carolina workplace injuries include:
- Orthopedic injuries (damage to muscles, bones, joints, tendons, ligaments and surrounding soft tissue)
- Spinal cord injuries, including paralysis or other loss of function
- Head and brain injury, including concussion and traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Fibromyalgia, a long-term, body-wide pain and tenderness in the joints, muscles, tendons and other soft tissues.
When an accident on the job causes an injury severe enough that a worker is unable to work, the worker is likely to be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. Workers’ comp makes up for lost wages to help injured workers pay for medical and rehabilitation expenses. If a family member has been in a fatal workplace accident, workers’ compensation death benefits replace the income the deceased family member provided.
Contact a North Carolina Workplace Accident Lawyer Today
The North Carolina Workers’ Compensation program is designed to protect employees who have been hurt by workplace accidents or occupational illnesses and cannot earn a living, whether temporarily or permanently. But the process of filing a claim for benefits is complex.
Negotiating workers’ comp regulations is often daunting to an injured or ill worker or their family. The North Carolina workers’ compensation attorneys of Hardison & Cochran can assist you throughout the benefits application process to see to it that you get the compensation you deserve.
Our dedicated service to injured workers in North Carolina is available across the state, including in Raleigh, Cary, Durham, Wake County, Fayetteville, Dunn, Greensboro, Research Triangle Park, Wilmington, the Triangle, the Triad, Person County and Southern Pines.
If you or a family member has suffered a workplace injury or illness, call the experienced North Carolina workplace accident lawyers at Hardison & Cochran toll-free at (800) 434-8399 or fill out our online contact form. We will respond within 24 hours. We take every claim for workers’ compensation benefits seriously. Let us help you today.
