What Are the Most Common Workplace Safety Violations?

Most serious workplace injuries are not freak accidents. They trace back to a hazard that a safer workplace would have controlled. Year after year, the same categories of safety violations show up in warehouses, construction sites, and factories throughout the Joliet area. Knowing what they are helps you spot risk on the job and understand how a violation can relate to an injury claim.

The Violations That Show Up Again and Again

• Fall hazards. Unprotected edges, missing guardrails, unsafe ladders, and improper scaffolding lead to falls, which are among the deadliest hazards in construction and general industry.
• Machine guarding. When moving parts on saws, presses, and conveyors are not properly guarded, workers lose fingers, hands, and worse.
• Lockout/tagout. Machinery that is not properly de-energized before maintenance can start up unexpectedly and crush or amputate. Lockout/tagout procedures exist to prevent exactly that.
• Hazard communication. Workers have a right to know about the chemicals they handle. Missing labels, absent safety data sheets, and poor training expose people to burns, respiratory harm, and long-term illness.

Other frequent problems include inadequate fall protection training, blocked exits, and forklift safety failures.

How a Violation Connects to Your Claim

Illinois workers’ compensation is a no-fault system, so you do not need to prove a safety violation to receive benefits. A violation is not a requirement for your claim. But when an employer’s disregard for safety caused your injury, it can matter in other ways. If a party other than your employer, such as a general contractor, equipment manufacturer, or subcontractor, contributed to unsafe conditions, you may have a separate injury claim against that party in addition to your workers’ compensation benefits.

Those third-party claims can provide compensation that workers’ comp alone does not, including full lost wages and pain and suffering.

If you were hurt in a workplace where safety was an afterthought, it is worth having someone look at whether more than one party bears responsibility. We offer a free consultation and can help you understand every avenue open to you.