Safety Violations for Health Care Workers

Chicago Lawyers for Health Care Workers’ Injuries Due to Safety Violations

Safety standards in health care practices are set by the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). Standards can include a bloodborne pathogens standard, a hazard communications standard, and personal protective equipment standards. These are specified in regulations that lay out what safety measures your employer should take and what training it needs to conduct for its health care workers, as well as what records about that training should be kept. In some cases, OSHA fines a business for violating a safety standard. More tragically, health care workers can face significant injuries as the result of a safety violation. If you are a health care worker who was injured because of a safety violation, you should call the trustworthy Chicago workers’ compensation lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca.

We have more than 60 years of experience representing clients in in Aurora, Champaign, Rockford, Quincy, as well as Winnebago, Kane, Sangamon, Cook, and Adams Counties. We also handle third party lawsuits, such as those that may need to be brought against a manufacturer or other driver, and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claims.

Safety Violations for Health Care Workers

Common OSHA safety violations in healthcare include lack of training, lack of protective personal equipment, and failure to guard against certain occupational hazards. It is a failure for a hospital or other practice to fail to train workers on OSHA standards that apply to their jobs. For instance, your employer could be fined for failing to train you on the bloodborne pathogens standard, which is intended to reduce your exposure to pathogenic microorganisms such as HIV and hepatitis B virus. The training would involve understanding safe needlestick and sharps practice and understanding how bloodborne pathogens operate, as well as what to do to label containers with any potentially infectious materials. If you got sick because you were not trained, you might have a claim for benefits.

Additionally, you should be given safety data sheets pertinent to your job. These can be critical in the event that you work with hazardous substances as part of your work in the industry. For example, if you are exposed to chemicals as part of your job, you should get a safety data sheet for it that specifies its properties including its toxicity.

Another common safety violation involves an employer’s failure to provide health care workers with personal protective equipment (PPE). This is gear that is supposed to be given to you for free if you are working close to a hazard that could be avoided through use of the PPE. PPE could include gloves, safety goggles, masks, slip-proof footwear, face shields, respirators, and more. If your PPE is worn out or old, your employer should order new ones, and make sure that you are wearing this equipment in any designated areas where it presents a risk.

Safety Violations as Evidence at a Hearing

Workers’ compensation benefits are no-fault benefits. That means that safety violations cannot be used to establish fault at a hearing to address an issue in your claim. However, the safety violations may be linked to your injuries, in which case, we may be able to use OSHA citations to establish that your injuries are work-related.

Safety Violations in a Third Party Lawsuit

If you were injured by safety violations caused by someone other than your employer or coworker, our seasoned trial attorneys may be able to pursue the full amount of your losses by bringing a personal injury lawsuit. Unlike a workers’ compensation claim, we can recover your total lost wages and medical costs in a personal injury lawsuit brought against a third party.

Consult a Seasoned Chicago Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

If you are a Chicago health care worker who suffered injuries or disease due to safety violations at your job and your claim was denied, you should call us to represent you at a workers’ compensation hearing. Our seasoned attorneys have more than 60 years of experience advocating for health care workers. Call us at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.