November 2017

Employees who work in construction, carpentry, manufacturing, auto repair, welding and maintenance are most likely to experience eye injuries. However, almost every work environment contains eye hazards, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 2,000 people suffer from workplace eye injuries every day. As many as 400 of those accidents causes vision loss. The correct eye protection can prevent up to 90 percent of these accidents.

Common Causes of Workplace Eye Injuries

The most common causes of eye injuries include:

• • Chemicals and cleaning products

• • Tools

• • Flying metal, glass, pencils, nails, staples, wood slivers and other objects

• • Particles

• • Harmful radiation

How do Eye Injuries Happen?

Eye injuries typically occur in three ways.

• • Penetration occurs when a sharp object enters the eye and causes trauma.

• • Burns damage the tissue in and around the eye. They are caused by chemicals or cleaning products and include thermal burns from welding.

• • Striking or scraping involves small particles or objects and is the most common workplace eye injury. The offending material can affect the eye, eyeball or socket.

Ways to Prevent Eye Injuries

You and your employees can take several steps to protect sensitive eyes.

• • Perform an eye hazard assessment. Walk around your business and identify any workstations, objects or other potential hazards.

• • Eliminate as many hazards as possible. Work with your safety manager or insurance company to identify and remove the hazards you find.

• • Install safety measures. Consider installing screens, machine guarding or engineering controls as well as other necessary safety precautions.

• • Teach eye safety to your employees. Your team members should understand the potential dangers they may face on the job and the protective measures they should take.

• • Provide proper eye safety gear. The gear you provide depends on your specific workplace hazards and on your employees’ personal preferences and needs. Examples include prescription and non-prescription safety glasses, side shields, goggles, face shields, helmets and full-face respirators. Be sure the safety lenses follow OSHA requirements, are comfortable and allow peripheral vision.

• • Train team members on how to handle an eye injury emergency. Everyone should know where the eye wash station is located and how to use it.

• • Continue to take eye safety seriously. Perform regular hazard assessments, update safety equipment and provide ongoing eye safety training.

• • Update your Workers’ Compensation insurance. While you do your best to ensure workplace safety, accidents can happen. Your Workers’ Compensation insurance will pay for medical treatment and other related expenses if an employee suffers an eye injury on the job.

Workplace eye safety is important. Use these top safety tips to prevent as many eye injuries as possible.

The nation’s more extreme weather patterns reinforces the need for businesses to reduce the risk of injuries or accidents to employees working out of doors under winter conditions.

The human body has a core temperature of 98.6°F. Unconsciousness can occur at 86°F, and death below 73°F. Symptoms of a dangerous temperature decrease include persistent and severe shivering, fatigue, lack of co-ordination, drowsiness or apathy, hallucinations, resistance to help, and skin that turns blue before becoming pale and dry.

Employees working outdoors in extremely cold weather face two major health problems: frostbite and hypothermia. Frostbite freezes and crystallizes the fluids in body tissues and cellular spaces, which causes blood clotting and reduces the flow of oxygen to affected areas and deeper tissues. Hypothermia develops when the body can no longer maintain its core temperature and attempts to reduce heat loss by shutting down blood flow to the skin, arms and legs, as well as shivering to increase internal heat.

To help protect your outdoor workers against these risks, make sure that they:

• dress warmly and carry extra dry clothing if they’re likely to get wet
• stay dry (wet skin freezes quickly)
• drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration
• work during the warmest part of the day, as much as possible
• avoid sitting still outdoors for long periods and take regular breaks from the cold
• don’t touch metal or wear metal jewelry outdoors – metal conducts cold, increasing the risk of frostbite
• avoid cigarettes, alcohol, and too much coffee or caffeinated beverages. Smoking decreases circulation, while alcohol increases the rate of body cooling; caffeine also lowers circulation, its diuretic effect speeds dehydration, and its stimulant effect can hasten hypothermia)

For more information, feel free to get in touch with our agency.

Workers’ compensation insurance covers losses related to work-related injuries. When one of your employees is injured at work, you, the owner of the company, need workers’ compensation insurance to cover the employees’ medical expenses. The incident must be caused by an incident within the course and scope of the employees’ duties at work. Generally, as long as the injury occurs on the work premises, happens during work, and takes place while the employee is at work, the claim will be covered. Of course, there are numerous exceptions. Contact your workers’ compensation insurance adjuster for an extended explanation of which claims will be accepted and which will be denied.

Orthotic and prosthetic device manufacturing Workers Compensation insurance is necessary for several reasons. In many states, workers’ compensation insurance is mandatory. If you don’t have workers’ compensation insurance you could face fines, suspensions, and you could possibly lose your business license. You could also be on the hook for the medical expenses and lost wages owed to your injured workers. If someone is injured and the employee’s claim is accepted, they may be eligible to receive lost wage reimbursement payments to help them pay the bills while off work. If you don’t have insurance, you may be ordered to pay out of pocket. To avoid these delays and obstacles, make sure you have the proper insurance policies in place before you open your business.

Unique Liabilities

Orthotic and prosthetic device manufacturing is a perilous job. You need to be able to create orthotics and prosthetics for people that work and won’t cause them undue harm. If you fail in these efforts, you could face product liability lawsuits or other legal challenges. If one of your employees is injured while at work and you don’t have workers’ compensation, you could be ordered by a court to cover the costs associated with the injury. Without the proper types of insurance, you may have to pay out of your pocket, which could devastate an already cost burdened industry like orthotic and prosthetic manufacturing.

General Liability Insurance and Product Liability Insurance

Besides workers’ compensation, you should also consider purchasing general liability insurance. Workers’ compensation insurance covers your employees and their work-related injuries. As a business owner, you need more than one form of insurance to feel safe. General liability insurance policies will help you pay for expenses that arise when an employee injures a client while fitting them for a prosthetic. Product liability insurance will provide you with the support you need if a client is injured by one of your products. If someone claims they were harmed by one of the orthotics that you produced, you need product liability insurance to take care of the legal costs and possible fines. Without these other, essential forms of insurance, you could be on the hook for all of the associated expenses.

When you are injured or become ill on the job, you file a Workers’ Compensation claim. It covers your medical treatment and other expenses. However, you may not get the treatment or care you think you deserve. Consider when and how to get a second opinion.

Roadblocks to a Second Opinion

It’s normal to get a second opinion before a major surgery. However, you may feel uncertain about getting a second opinion regarding a Workers’ Compensation claim.

First, the list of doctors you can see when you file a Workers’ Compensation claim is short, and you may only have one approved option.

Also, your benefits are determined by your employer’s insurance company, and the insurance company could deny your request for a second opinion.

Every state has different Workers’ Compensation laws, too, making second opinions okay in some states but not in all states.

While these roadblocks are legitimate, you could still pursue another opinion as you manage your health and take care of yourself.

When to Seek a Second Opinion

You could consider seeking a second opinion if any of the following conditions apply.

• • You don’t feel like your doctor listens to you.

• • Your doctor has recommended surgery, and you’re uncertain about proceeding.

• • You’re still in pain even though the doctor says you’re fine.

• • Your doctor wants you to remain on restricted duty even though you feel better.

• • Your doctor agreed to restriction changes based on recommendations from the insurance company’s Nurse Case Manager.

• • You don’t trust your doctor for any reason.

How to Pursue a Second Opinion

To pursue a second opinion, first check your state’s Workers’ Compensation statute. It typically states your rights to a second opinion.

You can also contact Human Resources. They can assist you in discerning your rights to a second opinion and then assisting you in starting the process.

If Your Second Opinion is Denied

The insurance company may deny your request for a second opinion. In this case, you can visit another doctor of your choice. However, you could face several challenges.

The insurance company may not accept your doctor’s recommendation. The company may also stop paying your medical bills, especially if the second physician disagrees with the Workers’ Compensation doctor.

Your personal insurance also may not cover the doctor visit because it was originally covered under a Workers’ Compensation claim. You could end up paying out-of-pocket for this exam and other treatment.

Getting a second opinion regarding your Workers’ Compensation claim can be challenging. However, you may have options. Contact your Workers’ Compensation insurance company for more details on ensuring you receive the treatment you need and deserve.