Tulsa Workers' Compensation Law Blog

Oklahoma workers in all industries face safety risks, regardless of whether they work on construction sites, behind office desks, doing landscaping or other work environments. Some injury types are typical to specific industries, such as scaffold-related accidents in construction, and equipment-related workplace injuries in manufacturing. However, some workers have to deal with uncommon occupational hazards.

One such a risk is that posed by dogs. Employees who provide services at the homes of clients or delivery workers frequently have to deal with dogs, many of which are unpredictable. Dog bites can have severe consequences that could involve expensive medical treatment and lost workdays, not to mention the psychological impact of a dog attack.

When employers task employees with jobs for which they do not have the necessary qualification or certification, the consequences could be severe. This appears to have been the case in a scaffold collapse that caused workplace injuries to five workers in Oklahoma. Authorities say neither the workers nor their employer were licensed to do the work that was done.

The Oklahoma State Labor Department reports that the five workers were dismantling elevator scaffolding when the structure collapsed. The workers fell from a height of approximately 30 feet. According to the authorities, the contractor did not have the necessary elevator contractor license, and the workers also lacked elevator technician licenses. This means that they were not skilled to do the work with which they were tasked.

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and the pressure and demands on workers in turkey processing plants in Oklahoma and other states might ease slightly. However, the worldwide market for these birds is snowballing, and economic researchers estimate global production in 2019 to be about 30 million pounds. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says poultry processing shows a rate of workplace injuries and illnesses that is 60 percent higher than in other industries.

Safety authorities say the pressure placed on workers to speed up processing and increase production while conditions are rough and hazardous give rise to the majority of injuries in turkey processing plants. They say amputations are the most significant risks during manual slaughtering and cutting up of birds that weigh around 16 pounds each in cold and wet environments. If employers fail to provide adequate safety training and workspaces that comply with safety regulations, poultry plant workers will continue to lose limbs in amputation accidents.

Oklahoma workers in all industries face work-related hazards, some of which involve confined spaces. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration prescribes strict regulations that could prevent workplace injuries to workers who have to work in these dangerous areas. A confined space is an area with limited exit and entry means -- often a single way in or out, and workers must spend limited periods inside. When specific hazards exist, it becomes a permit-required area that is clearly signposted with warnings and entry requirements.

Safety and health threats that define a confined space as a permit-required area include atmospheres that are oxygen deficient, flammable or toxic. Furthermore, permits are required for spaces in which physical or mechanical hazards exist, or where loose flowing materials such as grain could cause engulfment or suffocation. Special care is necessary for areas where oxygen might be sufficient until a worker does welding or other tasks that use oxygen.