It is human nature to want to feel safe. Finding a secure home, feeling stable in our relationships, and avoiding accidents are all ways that we try to protect ourselves. Because of this, it’s natural to want our jobs to be safe as well. Whether you’re researching jobs, just got a new one, or want to know more about your industry, it’s important to know whether you’re safe when you’re on the clock.
Dangerous workplaces can lead to significant problems and life-altering accidents. Depending on your profession, you and your family may be at risk.
Palm Desert Safety
Palm Desert safety ranks poorly overall. About 89% of cities in the United States are consideredsafer, and only 14% experience higher crime rates. However, most of these crimes are related to vandalism and theft, as violent crimes are much less common in Palm Desert relative to the rest of the nation.
Specific crime rates in Palm Desert depend upon the neighborhood. Some areas see more crime than others, making it difficult to conclude whether Palm Desert is a safe place to work. If your job is in a district or neighborhood where crime is lower, you are likely perfectly safe. If your area experiences a higher rate of crime, however, your general safety may be at risk.
It’s important to research an office’s neighborhood before committing to a job. In some cases, proximity to crime is a key factor in whether the job’s salary is worth any potential liability.
Job Safety
Your industry and specific job play a large role in whether a workplace is safe. If you’re in a safe neighborhood working a risky job, you may be just as likely to be injured. Certain jobs are considered generally safer, while others are more dangerous. Dangerous industries include:
- Construction
- Law enforcement
- Firefighting
- Roofing
- Farming
If you work in an industry with a high risk of injury, it’s important to know that you can take legal steps if you’re injured at work.
Workers’ Compensation
No matter what industry you work in, you are eligible for workers’ compensation if you get hurt while on the job. Though there are a few exceptions, nearly every employer in California is required to get workers’ compensation insurance. This means that you should have some financial support after a workplace accident. Ultimately, your employer is responsible for keeping you safe while you’re on the job. They do this by following OSHA standards, providing proper safety equipment, providing breaks and mealtimes, etc.
For a workplace accident to qualify for workers’ compensation, the worker must have simply been at work and acting within the reasonable actions of an employee. This is to say, you don’t necessarily have to be doing your job when you get hurt to qualify for workers’ compensation. This is just to say that you cannot have been doing something ridiculous, obnoxious, or generally inappropriate when you got injured.
A few concrete actions disqualify an employee from workers’ compensation. They include:
- Engaging in roughhousing, horseplay, or fighting
- Working while under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Purposefully inflicting the injury on yourself
- Following company rules
If you were not engaging in any of these behaviors and partaking in normal workday activities, you’ll likely be eligible for workers’ compensation.
This compensation helps pay for medical bills and support you while you heal. This takes the financial responsibility off your family and helps to make sure that a workplace incident doesn’t leave you both injured and bankrupt.
Personal Injury
In some situations, a workplace injury happens as the result of someone else’s behavior. For example, if your coworker play-tackled you and you broke your arm, the injury would be a result of their negligence and poor decision-making.
Though you can’t necessarily file a personal injury case against your employer, you can file such a case against a third party like a coworker or vendor. If their behavior caused your pain, they are liable for the damages. This is the same area of law that holds individuals responsible for car accidents, premises liability accidents, etc. The core idea is that individuals acting negligently or in poor judgment are responsible for any damage that they do.
There are many different types of personal injury claims, so it’s important to explore your options if you’ve been injured at work.
How English Lloyd & Armenta Can Help
It’s important to find an attorney to represent you after you’ve been injured at work, no matter the situation. We can help you navigate the workers’ compensation system, which can be complicated and often faces delays. What’s more, some workplaces attempt to circumvent the workers’ compensation standards, which can lengthen the process. Having legal help ensures that you can face these issues with a professional and feel confident in any progress.
Personal injury cases are even more intense. Your opponent will likely try to rewrite the story in their favor to avoid paying for your settlement. If they succeed, you may face extra medical bills and ongoing financial issues. If you don’t have additional compensation, your family may lack your income while you heal, and many can’t afford that kind of loss. It’s important that you win this settlement so that your family is financially protected.
With so much at stake, it’s important to hire an attorney.
English Lloyd & Armenta: Your Palm Desert Law Firm
For over 40 years, our team at English Lloyd & Armenta has been serving the communities in Palm Desert. We have an intimate understanding of the issues and challenges facing families here, and we know how important it is to stay safe. That’s why we’ve dedicated our careers to ensuring that everyone, especially workers, gets compensated if injured by someone else. We believe that no one should get away with causing harm, so we work tenaciously for our clients and community.
Not all Palm Desert attorneys are the same. You can trust us to give you the best legal counsel in the area. To learn more or to make an appointment, contact us online today.