What Are the Risks of Spinal Cord Injuries in the Workplace?

 Posted on September 05, 2019 in Workplace Injury

Workers in industries that require manual labor, such as construction, are at most risk for a spinal cord injury while on the job. The spinal cord is one of the most important organs in the human body. Housed by vertebrae, the spinal cord is the information highway of the nervous system that transmits signals to and from the brain. Humans have 33 individual vertebrae, which are the bones that make up the spine. These bones can be damaged as easily as a femur or humerus bone, except that instead of a broken leg or arm, the result can be damage to the spinal cord, resulting in paralysis in some cases. When this happens, and an employee is unable to return to work, he or she may be eligible for workers’ compensation. 

What Is Workers’ Compensation?

Every Colorado business with employees, no matter the size, is required to provide workers’ compensation insurance. This is a protection for employees in the unfortunate event they are hurt on the job. Workers’ compensation also protects employers from lawsuits solely based on an accident or an injury an employee may sustain. Eligible employees have the right to file for workers’ compensation if the injury is suffered at the workplace. Whether an employee is permanently or temporarily disabled, workers’ compensation benefits provide financial security by compensating an employee for lost wages and medical bills. Even if an accident on the job is the employee’s fault, he or she is still eligible for workers’ comp benefits. 

Spinal Cord Damage

Spinal cord injuries can occur from a variety of different accident scenarios. Of all reported spinal cord injuries, 15 percent of them are caused by a fall. In the instance of a fall, bones protecting the spinal cord are most likely to be broken or dislocated. The spinal cord can also be damaged if a worker gets caught in a piece of equipment or machinery. A construction worker would likely not be able to return to his or her job after a spinal cord injury, since this type of work requires a great deal of mobility, including climbing up and down ladders, picking up and moving objects, etc. 

No matter how the incident happened, spinal cord injuries can be traumatic and life-changing. When the spinal cord is damaged, an individual can be paralyzed from the neck down, or they may suffer partial paralysis in some limbs. Even if a person is not bound to a wheelchair after a spinal cord injury, he or she still may require extensive surgeries and physical therapy to reach a state of maximum medical recovery. 

Contact a Fort Collins Workplace Injury Lawyer

Even when safety precautions are taken, accidents can and do happen in the workplace, regardless of the industry. No matter how injured an employee is, his or her employer may downplay what happened in an attempt to avoid liability. If you have suffered any type of injury while on the job, you need to seek professional legal counsel. To ensure you receive fair workers’ compensation benefits after a work injury, contact our experienced Larimer County workers’ compensation attorneys to discuss your case. Call our office today at 970-225-2190 to schedule a free consultation. 

Sources:

https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/brain,-spinal-cord,-and-nerve-disorders/biology-of-the-nervous-system/spinal-cord

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/spinal-cord-injury/symptoms-causes/syc-20377890