Did you know that construction worksites, and other traditionally dangerous workplaces, are not the only places that present risks to their employees? Indeed, even a seemingly boring office environment comes with its share of dangers. For example, a spilled cup of water that was not cleaned up in a hallway can represent a serious slip hazard. Even sitting at a desk all day comes with its share of back injury risks.
Employees can get hurt no matter what the workplace is like, and this is why employers must teach their employees about workplace safety. For example, having a general safety meeting where employees are taught about safety can do wonders. In such meetings, employers might cover topics that include warnings about not standing on top of chairs to access shelves, cleaning up spilled drinks in the hallways and taking regular stretch breaks while sitting for long periods of time.
In addition to educating employees about workplace safety, maintaining the safety of work premises by keeping up with repairs is also essential to helping employees stay safe. For example, maybe there is a crack in the floor or a crinkle in the carpet on which an employee could easily trip. Maybe there is a lighting issue that needs to be resolved so that employees can safely navigate their workplaces.
That said, accidents will happen, even in the best-maintained workplaces with employees who are fully aware of workplace safety strategies. In such situations, injured Maryland employees may wish to seek workers' compensation benefits by filing a workers' compensation claim relating to their injuries. Workers' compensation benefits will generally cover an injured employee's medical care, time spent unable to work and other kinds of benefits.
