Paducah Legal Issues Blog

Women in Kentucky may have good reason to be concerned when they go to the hospital to give birth. While the rates of maternal injury and mortality have declined dramatically in most developed countries, the same is not true of the United States. In fact, the U.S. is the developed country with the highest rate of maternal deaths and injuries, and every year, 50,000 mothers are severely injured during childbirth while 700 lose their lives.

One recent study indicated that at least one-half of all deaths could have been prevented and injuries prevented or reduced if better medical care could have been provided. The study also showed that hospital and doctor errors or delays in treatment were involved in many of these cases. The two most common complications suffered by mothers in childbirth were high blood pressure and hemorrhaging or extreme blood loss. Of the deaths caused by high blood pressure, 60 percent could have been stopped if doctors or healthcare workers had acted more quickly. In addition, 90 percent of the deaths caused by extreme blood loss could have been avoided with quicker treatment.

As the economy evolves, the type of work that Kentucky residents and others will perform will evolve as well. It will also change how employees do their jobs and with whom they work. It is not uncommon for employees to work from home or with individuals who speak other languages. OSHA encourages employers to continually track potential hazards that workers may face and take steps to mitigate them in a timely manner.

Employers may solicit input from employees about the hazards that they may face. It is also a good idea to conduct workplace inspections to get more details about possible injury risks and create a plan to prevent accidents from happening. Taking pictures or videos of workplace conditions can make it easier to refer to a previous inspection if necessary or verify that one took place.

In December of 2017, the Bureau of Labor Statistics issued its 2016 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. These stats brought attention to those industries in America that saw the highest work fatality rates. Employers and employees in Kentucky will want to know about the top 10 most dangerous jobs because some of them may be a surprise.

Logging workers had the highest fatal work injury rate, with 135.9 deaths out of every 100,000 full-time or equivalent workers. They were followed by fishing workers (with a rate of 86) and aircraft pilots and flight engineers (55.5). Roofers, trash and recycling collectors, iron and steel workers and truck and sales drivers came next.

As the number of drivers on the roads increases, the risk of car accidents also rises. There is no playbook on how to handle injuries sustained during a car wreck that you or a loved one has experienced. Though each traumatic brain injury is unique, there are resources  that can help you learn what to expect when encountering a TBI in your life.

A traumatic brain injury occurs when a head injury causes a disruption in the normal function of the brain. This damage to brain tissue is caused by an external force rather than internal such as a stroke or tumor. The severity of one’s TBI may tell you how life will be after the injury.