Tulsa Workers' Compensation Law Blog

The sun is an essential element required for all life. However, excessive exposure to UV light can be harmful. In Oklahoma, workers might be aware of the potential workplace injuries of sunburn and skin cancer, but prolonged exposure could also compromise workers' immune systems and damage their eyes and vision. UV light can cause various eye diseases.

Excessive exposure to the sun can cause the natural lens of the eye to become cloudy -- a condition known as cataracts. The conjunctiva or the covering of the eye's white area can develop two types of growths. The first is a yellow bump or spot that can grow in the eye, and the second growth is fleshy and could expand to cover the cornea and limit vision. UV rays reflecting from snow or ice can cause snow blindness, indicated by blurry vision, watery eyes and swelling. Ocular melanoma is a cancer in the eye that can develop from UV light exposure.

Employers in Oklahoma and across the country must provide employees with work environments that are free of known hazards. Federal law mandates that employers must address any dangers that threaten the health and safety of workers. Furthermore, employees are entitled to speak up and report workplace injuries or unsafe conditions and near misses without fearing retaliation.

It is never a bad idea for workers to gain knowledge about their rights in the workplace, and to learn the procedures for reporting unsafe work conditions. Understanding potential hazards is vital, and for that reason, employers must provide safety training in a language understood by the workers. Machines and equipment must be equipped with the necessary safety devices, and be in good working order.

Oklahoma employers are responsible for the safety and health of employees. They must provide safe work environments that are free of known hazards. Yet, despite strict safety standards, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports that over 80% of nonfatal workplace injuries nationwide are made up of three preventable work-related accidents. These are bodily reactions to overexertion, falls caused by slips and trips, and struck-by or caught-in injuries caused by contact with equipment or objects.

Overexertion follows non-impact injuries caused by physical effort exerted to lift, push, turn, hold, carry and throw objects. Tasks that require repetitive motions also fall into this injury category. Slips and trips can cause injuries even if the worker does not fall but attempts to prevent the fall. Falls from heights without wearing a fall harness can cause catastrophic injuries, and neglected housekeeping can expose workers to wet and slippery walkways or debris and randomly placed objects that can cause slips, trips and falls.

Throughout March, the American Ladder Institute will promote ladder safety across the country. Raising awareness helps to underscore the need for monitoring ladder safety in the workplace, including appropriate training procedures. The goal, of course, is to reduce deaths and workplace injuries linked to ladders. Oklahoma workers should know that a fall from the second or third rung of a ladder can be as dangerous as from the top of the ladder.

Each ladder has a duty rating, which indicates the maximum weight the ladder can support. There are several misconceptions about this rating. The weight limit includes not only the worker's weight but also his or her clothing, personal protective equipment, and any accessories, equipment or tools that are carried on the ladder.