Falling on the job is a real concern for many workers in California particularly if they work in a warehouse, a factory, a supermarket, a delivery service, a restaurant, for an HVAC company, or in a construction position that involves climbing ladders. A fall can be the result of a slippery floor, carrying, pulling or pushing too much weight, or simply from losing one's balance while walking or climbing. Unfortunately, falling at work can cause all kinds of injuries that can cause an employee to miss time at work, or even worse - to feel like they have to continue to work despite the pain because they have families to feed.
Falling can lead to all types of work injuries, ranging from an ankle sprain to serious head and/or brain trauma, and everything in between. Most often, falling at work tends to impact the back (the largest upper body muscle), the knees, the hips, the neck, the legs, and the head (whether directly from impact or as the result of subsequent migraines). It is also not uncommon to try to break a fall using one's hands, so plenty of fingers have been broken and shoulders torn doing the "chicken dance" trying to remain on one's feet.
Sometimes employees fall when no one else is around and sometimes the fall happens in front of co-workers who can come to their aid in time to call an ambulance or get them a ride to the hospital. Either way, because California is a "no fault" system, an employee may be entitled to receive an array of Workers' Compensation benefits regardless of whether they tripped over their own shoelaces or while carrying a refrigerator. In other words, California employees do NOT have to prove that the employer was negligent in any way - only that their fall arose out of their employment and in the course and scope of their employment.
To learn more about falls in the workplace and your rights, visit the Law Office of Jamie S. Adler or call us at (310) 567-7993. If you fell at work you deserve to get back up, back on your feet, and back to your normal life!
