Paducah Legal Issues Blog

Slips, trips and falls are a major hazard for workers in Kentucky and across the United States. According to the National Safety Council, 798 workers died from falls in 2014. Of those, 660 died after falling from a height, and 138 were killed in falls on the same level. However, there are some simple safety measures workers can take to reduce the risk of on-the-job injuries and fatalities.

Before they begin a job, workers should assess the environment for slip, trip and fall hazards and create a prevention plan. If workers see a potential hazard, they should point it out and make sure it is dealt with. To avoid falls on the same level, workers should slow down and watch where they are walking, taking note of any changes in elevation. They should avoid distractions, such as texting or phone calls, and wear job-appropriate footwear. If workers notice any spills, they should clean them up as soon as possible.

While many people in Kentucky are aware of the dangers of drunk driving, being sleepy while behind the wheel can also be surprisingly dangerous. Drunk driving has become socially unacceptable over the years, but 60 percent of American adults say that they have driven their cars while drowsy. Even worse, a full 33 percent of Americans say that they have fallen asleep while driving their vehicles.

In addition to the danger of car accidents, drowsy driving can be similar to drunk driving in other ways. In fact, sleep deprivation can have very similar effects on the human body as intoxication with alcohol. If a person drives after being awake for 18 hours straight, they will behave like a person with a blood-alcohol concentration of .05. If they have been awake for a full 24 hours, they could drive like their blood alcohol concentration was .10, which is over the legal limit.

The summer sun is high in the sky. The mornings are warm and the last days of school are in session. Your kids are antsy, ready for their vacation to begin. You’ve booked activities to keep them occupied, and created a list of chores for them to complete. This will help fill their days, but you also know that they will spend plenty of time outside.

The kids are excited to bust out the sidewalk chalk, their bikes and the sprinkler. You love that they want to play outside. When the kids are outside, they are active and get in plenty of exercise. You also have concerns. Summertime and being outside means there will be more people out and cars on the road.

Construction site owners in Kentucky might be wondering what the most common safety hazards are in their industry, and the answer comes down to falls. Nationwide Insurance analyzed more than 10,000 construction-related workers' comp claims that it processed in the past five years, and the company found that 30 percent of them are due to falls from elevated surfaces.

This simply underscores the need for ongoing employee training. To this end, OSHA sponsored a nationwide stand-down from May 7 to 11, encouraging construction employers to put a temporary stop on production and address safety issues on the job site. For many, these stand-downs provide the perfect opportunity to transition into ongoing training.