No matter if you work at a high-risk job or not, it’s always good to know what kind of injury can befall you and how can you deal with it. It is important to know about health issues & work.
Workplace safety is getting more and more attention lately, but people still don’t know what their employers can and can’t do and what actions they themselves can take in order to protect themselves.
Your Privacy Needs To Be Respected
Your employer can ask you why you missed work. If it’s just a cold or stomach issues, they will most likely document your conversation, state the reason why you call in sick and that’s all. Your employer doesn’t have the right to pry into details about your illness and injury.
No Prying Is Allowed
Additionally, employers and HR managers are not allowed to play doctor and offer medical advice—this might be concerning under your country’s disability act.
If you think your employee is not doing their job well because of the illness or medication, contact an attorney and HR department in order to determine which federal and state laws can be applied.
You Need A Doctor’s Release
Most of the time, if you need to miss three or more consecutive days of work, you’ll need a doctor’s release. If you’re the employer that requires a doctor’s release for missing work, make sure to include this information in your absenteeism policy or employee handbook.
Ensure Good Health Coverage
Work injuries not only result in big economic loss, but they also cause other issues. For instance, about 70% of all workers don’t have insurance that will compensate them in case of any occupational disease or workplace injury.
Luckily, you can always find an experienced compensation lawyer who will explain your rights, help you during your hard time and give you the best legal representation no matter the situation.
But, prevention is always the best path, so ensure your company has a program that prevent occupation disease issues like the encapsulation of pollution sources, good ventilation, noise control, furniture improvements and work organization improvements.
Stress-Caused Illness Is Real
The cost of workers compensation due to stress-related illnesses is growing every day. Long hours, heavy workload, job fluctuations, conflicts with bosses and coworkers are just some of the stressors people experience every day.
The most extreme effect of stress is definitely burnout which can have serious consequences on people’s professional and personal lives. All of these stressors not only make people sick, but they also lead to downturns in productivity, so it’s a lose-lose situation.
It’s in everyone’s best interest to ensure employee satisfaction. If you ensure a proper work-life balance, you can reduce absenteeism and manage work-related stress.
Learn Statistics
It’s important to get informed about certain statistics in order to stay safe and keep your business afloat. For instance, keep in mind that about six in every 100 Westerners experience a work injury every year and about half of these require time off work.
Physical laborers are at higher risk of injury than white-collar workers. The most common health issues for people working in science, education and business are musculoskeletal injuries like RSI.
Also, younger workers have a higher rate of injury due to inexperience, lack of training and tendency to take jobs with an increased risk of injury. Men between 20 and 24 are most prone to job-related injuries (10 in 100), especially those working in agriculture, fishing and forestry. Women, on the other hand, have a 50% lower rate of injury at work.
Once you get informed about the risks that await you at your job and learn how to prevent them, you can expect a much greater job satisfaction and productivity. Plus, both you and your company will profit from decreased compensations and absenteeism.
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Diana Smith is a full time mom of two beautiful girls interested in topics related to health and alternative medicine. In her free time she enjoys exercising and preparing healthy meals for her family
