Employers often take a lot of things for granted. For some, actual employees are put under that label, which makes things much worse.
Naturally, this is the wrong business approach to have as an employer. If you fail to realize that the employees you take for granted are pretty much the ones ensuring your profit, then you are already on your way to losing them!
But sometimes, disaster strikes before resignation – and a disaster can put your company out of business in a blink of an eye. Usually, this happens when you see a personal injury attorney taking an interest in your company.
Here are seven workplace injuries that, when not prevented, can make your company vanish!
Non-Compliance Injury
To prevent workplace injuries, the government has provided a series of laws and regulations that employers must comply with to operate.
For example, certain machines or items come with protective elements designed to keep the worker safe. Some are placed there by manufacturers; others are there under federal employment laws.
If the employer removes any protective element or simply doesn’t comply with the law, they are liable for any type of injury directly caused by their action.
Intentional/Deliberate Injury
Injuries that you cause directly to one of your employees have serious consequences. If you get angry and decide to punch him, don’t expect workers’ compensation to cover any injuries.
You will be charged with intentional tort, and the employee has the right to sue for personal injury.
Toxic Torts
Forcing employees to work with dangerous compounds and chemicals without wearing adequate protection equipment is also a serious offense.
When they are fully protected and get accidentally injured, they are covered by the workers’ compensation. But if the employer is found guilty of non-compliance or such, then the toxic tort law comes into play.
Manufacturer and Faulty Equipment
As an employer, if you manufacture a piece of equipment that the employees use regularly, you can be held liable for injuries caused by faulty equipment.
This is because the state assumes that you were aware of any faults in your products, and you should have alerted your employees of them as well.
Injured Individual Is Not Your Employee
When someone gets injured within the workplace due to their negligence as an employee, they can’t rely on workers’ compensation for damages.
However, if you as an employer are proved to be negligent, then they can take you and your entire business to court. This usually happens when you employ contractors and have them use your personal, faulty equipment.
Injury Cover-Up
The worst you could do, as a business owner, with any type of injury, is to cover it up. Feel free to pay the injured party as much as you want from your personal funds, but this can’t stop them from filing a claim against you.
But that’s not the worst part. If you come out as having covered up a serious injury, you risk losing more than just a personal injury case.
Discrimination and Harassment Injuries
In one way or another, discrimination and harassment can be seen as personal injury, and many courts see them as such.
Moreover, it is safe to say that, in 2021, any company that is found guilty of harassment or discrimination will have scandals on top of its head for a very long time.
The Bottom Line
Any workplace injury caused by one of the reasons mentioned above will most likely put you out of business if you run a small- to medium-sized company.
Corporations usually don’t get into too much legal trouble because of them, but they take a huge hit in terms of profits. Keep in mind the number one rule – compliance is key to having happy and safe customers and employees!
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