It is funny how
when you were young, you never really considered why the oldies are always so
cautious when they see you running everywhere. This often happens when you are
playing with friends. They are afraid you would hurt yourself. If you were a
girl, having bruises is not acceptable. Bruises do not look good on girls and a
girl should always be prim and proper. Now if you were a boy, they would not
want people to mistake you for a bully or a troublemaker. Only cute and smart
boys make mama proud. You would think; playing is fun so who cares about being
bruised?
Nevertheless, time
and experience help you see things differently. Injuries are no longer
acceptable especially if they happened while you are out and having fun. Now
that you are older, you realize how mild and serious injuries hurt your budget.
If you do not have the necessary insurance, you will use up all your savings
too. In addition, physical injuries affect your school, work performance or
both. This would mean that you have to exert more effort to get back on track. You
might need to stop studying or working too. Now that you are older, you avoid
injuries as much as you can. In fact, you are more cautious than you think.
However, it is a
different story when injury occurs at work. On the job, you and your employer
should make sure injuries do not happen. They train you on how to use the
machines and equipment properly. You should also follow workplace policies and
standards for health and safety. The company is responsible for any untoward
incidents that happen to you while you are doing your job. However, you are
also personally liable if these untoward incidents happen because of your own wrongdoing.
In cases where you and your company are both at fault, you should not shoulder
the consequences all by yourself. You have the right to complain.
If injuries
happen and the company does not have all the necessary precautions such as OSHA
posters, then the law states that they should pay for
fines or penalties. In fact, for not having the right posters in the right
places alone, the penalty reaches to a maximum of $7,000. You may even sue them
for damages as well. Millions of people suffer from injuries in the workplace
yearly. There are those who are lucky enough to survive. However, thousands of
them suffer severe physical injuries and others die.
Companies can
avoid workplace accidents if only they follow labor law requirements when it
comes to posters like OSHA. These Federal labor law posters are free. The labor law posters should be in your work
premises. If you think your company is not complying with any of these OSHA
poster requirements then you can always ask your company to comply. You can
even ask OSHA to have a site inspection in your company if you think there are
hazards that can lead to workplace accidents. Voice out your concerns before it
is too late. Your work is important but your life matters more.