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Every year, hundreds of workers wind up hospitalized for a ladder accident due to gross violations of safety protocol; however, there are plenty of isolated accidents that can happen for any number of preventable reasons. Whatever the reason may be for a ladder safety accident, there are a number of things that you should always keep in mind to tell whether or not you might be entitled to work injury compensation.

Ladder Safety

Proper ladder safety begins with having the right ladder. The majority of ladder accidents can be avoided just by making sure that the right kind of ladder has been chosen for the job. However, in many cases, the quality of the ladder being overlooked tends to be one of the major reasons why somebody ends up getting hurt.

Responsible business owners will always make sure that ladders in all areas are consistently examined and inspected to confirm that they are dependable for the workers. In the event that a ladder becomes compromised, fails or breaks while a worker is standing on it due to a failure to properly maintain it, a critical aspect of the case would be just how diligent the employer or management’s efforts were to make sure that said ladder was properly examined and cleared for safe use.

Self-Supporting Ladder Misuse

It isn’t just about the objective quality and safety of the ladder but also its default design issues. Certain ladders are built in a self-supporting design, making them safe to use without necessarily having to propping them up against something larger and supportive. When it comes to ladders that are not self-supporting, however, things can get a little bit complicated. A non-self-supporting ladder can be just as dangerous as an improperly maintained ladder. If it is used at an angle where the distance from its top support to the bottom foot of the ladder is more than a quarter of its working length, it’s crucial to maintain it.

Surface Stability

Even if the ladder is in passable condition and properly used, a concern also involves the stability of the surface it stands on. In order to make sure that a ladder is truly safe to operate, it needs to be confirmed that the surface is properly level, free of debris and overall stable.

There can’t be any unintentional slipping or movement that happens when pressure is put on the ladder of any kind. Even if it doesn’t seem to be that significant at first, a moment of unexpected compromise when there is an actual risk of an injury can prove to be disastrous very quickly.

Employer Supervision Oversights

Just as it is important for an employer to make sure that the state of the ladder is optimized for safety, it is also important for them to make sure that the employees have been properly trained. It is the responsibility of the employer to make sure effective training programs are provided and put in place, so that each employee knows exactly how to use the ladders properly. In addition to confirming that every employee is familiar with the proper safety protocol, consistent regular safety meetings or “tool box talks” are also standard in the construction and painting industry.

In-patient Hospitalization and Multiple Injuries

If you require inpatient hospitalization because of a ladder accident, the employer must file a record of your in-patient hospitalization with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) within 24 hours. If the employer fails to file a record of the inpatient hospitalization, they can very easily be held liable for negligence to follow through with due process. OSHA is also concerned with multiple injuries from single construction accidents.

Negligence Claims

In addition to making an Indiana Worker’s Compensation claim, your accident might also involve a negligence claim against a third party. This means if an accident was caused by a worker from another company or an independent party (someone besides your employer or co-workers), then you might have a legal claim beyond the recoverable benefits from the worker’s compensation law. Our firm handles both negligence and Indiana Worker’s Compensation claims, and we know what to ask about and look for with these cases. When we can prosecute injury claims to collect damages beyond those offered through the Indiana Worker’s Compensation law, we go after them and fight for our clients.

Summary

With Indiana workers compensation claims, you can get the justice you need for using the state’s laws for work accidents. The law requires employers to offer benefits covering medical expenses, lost income from time off work (TTD) and permanent partial impairment (PPI) compensation. In order to make sure that your case is as strong as possible, you will want to make sure that you have all of the necessary details in order. Make sure to accurately report the time of the accident, all of the details about the environment, any medical details provided by your primary health care providers and a complete chronological report of the events leading up to and following the accident.

The more details that you can provide about your Indiana workers compensation claim case, the better of a chance you will have to get the kind of work injury compensation that you deserve. If you would like to know more about how you might be able to present a strong worker’s injury case, feel free to get in contact with us for a free consultation.