Common Injuries for Textile Mill Employees

Textile Mill Employee Injuries in North Carolina

There are more than 300 textile mills in North Carolina. They employ tens of thousands of workers in production jobs that involve making yarn and fabric for clothing and many other items. Textile mill production workers spend most of their shift on or near the production floor, standing for long periods of time and bending over to tend to machinery. Some mills are noisy and have airborne fibers and odors that can cause injury and illness if inhaled.

Safer machinery and personal safety equipment like face masks, earplugs and protective clothing make textile mills much less hazardous places to work today than they were in the past. Still, serious injuries continue to happen in North Carolina textile mills.

The workplace injury attorneys of Hardison & Cochran are experienced with helping injured textile mill workers to obtain workers’ compensation and other compensation when on-the-job injuries or illness have left them unable to work.

To learn how we can help you, call us today at (800) 434-8399 or complete our online form. We’ll contact you within 24 hours to schedule a free initial consultation about your case.

Textile Mill Injury Risks in North Carolina

North Carolina is the nation’s third-leading employer of textile workers, behind California and Texas, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). These workers face a variety of potential hazards. Injuries can result from sudden trauma or from cumulative stress and strain.

Common causes of textile mill injuries include, but are not limited to:

  • Prolonged standing – When workers must stand for lengthy periods on concrete or similarly hard surfaces, they can develop swollen or painful feet or legs, plantar fasciitis (inflammation of the connective tissue that goes from the heel to the toe, supporting the arch), stretched Achilles tendon (tendinitis), heel spurs, varicose veins, knee problems, lower back pain and neck and shoulder stiffness.
  • Overexertion – Bending, stretching to reach, repeatedly grasping, lifting, pulling and pushing can cause sudden trauma or cumulative strain, sprains, and tearing injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments and other soft tissue. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common overexertion injury caused by the type of repetitive tasks found in textile mill work.
  • Contact with machinery – Mill workers risk having their fingers, hands or arms stuck in machinery. This may lead to serious crushing and tearing injuries, including loss of body parts, bruises, cuts and/or burns.
  • Exposure to fibers and dust – Workers should be issued masks to guard against inhaling fibers in textile mills. Inhaling dust from synthetic fibers or natural fibers like cotton and wool can cause mill workers to develop acute and chronic damage to their respiratory (breathing) function. Workers who inhale asbestos material may develop a form of cancer called mesothelioma.
  • Exposure to noise – Prolonged exposure to noise at high decibels in a textile mill can cause irreversible hearing damage. Again, protective gear should be available to prevent loss of hearing among textile workers.

In addition to the specific hazards above, textile mill workers can be injured in slip-and-fall accidents, particularly on floors covered with loose fibers and/or dust, worksite fires or explosions, vehicle injuries caused by forklifts, pallet movers or similar equipment, by equipment and materials falling on them and in many other ways.

Legal Options for Injured Textile Mill Workers

When accidents happen in a textile mill, any worker who has been injured should be taken care of through the employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. This state-run program provides money to pay medical bills and to replace a portion of lost wages.

Employers should not stand in the way of an injured worker seeking workers’ compensation, but they often do. In addition, the workers’ comp program can be complicated for anyone not familiar with its rules and regulations.

At Hardison & Cochran, our lawyers help injured mill workers navigate the workers’ compensation system. We can take the burden of battling workers’ compensation carriers off your shoulders and seek the benefits that you need. We can also examine your accident and injury to determine whether individuals or organizations other than your employer should be held liable for your injuries.

Our Lawyers Seek Compensation for Injured Textile Mill Workers in North Carolina

If you are a textile mill employee in North Carolina who has lost work due to a job-related injury or illness, contact Hardison & Cochran. Because of our long history of representing injured North Carolina workers, we understand textile mill employees and the injury hazards they face. Our injury attorneys can help you seek the compensation you and your family need during your recovery.

To schedule a free consultation, call Hardison & Cochran without delay at (800) 434-8399 or contact us online. Our initial case reviews are always free and completely confidential.

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