How Do Amputations Happen in the Workplace?

Occupational injuries present a compelling threat to American workers. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) reported approximately 2.9 million nonfatal injuries and illnesses in the workplace in 2016. Of these:

An amputated limb can seriously decrease a worker’s quality of life as well as impact the ability to earn a living wage. Some amputees lose their ability to work altogether, depending on the nature of their injuries.

Amputations are more common in some industries than in others. According to OSHA, the workers most prone to amputation injury include:

OSHA’s report states that many of the hazards that lead to these injuries are both well-understood and preventable. Amputations are most likely to occur when workers use inadequately safeguarded mechanical equipment such as conveyer belts, printing presses, food slicers and meat grinders, band saws, drill presses, milling machines, and more. They also occur during routine materials handling and operating heavy machinery such as forklifts, trash compacters, and hand tools.

OSHA has also identified machine movements that increase risk of occupational amputation:

OSHA states that that employers can easily mitigate many of these actions, which suggests that employers may be negligent in maintenance or upkeep of heavy machinery. Without proper guards or training, occupational injury and risk of amputation increases. To help control the number of preventable amputations, OSHA has a severe injury reporting requirement that compels businesses to identify the source of a worker’s amputation and make necessary changes to prevent further injury. OSHA investigates the source of each reported occupational amputation and makes suggestions to employers for improving overall worker safety.

Unfortunately, not all employers report severe workplace injuries. In fact, OSHA estimates that compliance with severe injury reporting guidelines is only about 50%.

Workplace accidents like amputations often result from lack of proper safety standards, inadequate machine maintenance, and lack of employee training. In some cases, amputations result from defective equipment manufactured, distributed, or sold by a third party.

While workers’ compensation insurance pays for medical bills, vocational training, and a portion of an injured worker’s lost wages following an amputation, in some cases an injured worker may be eligible to file a civil claim against a negligent party. An amputation settlement can help compensate for past and future medical expenses as well as intangible losses such as decreased life quality. Talk to a Houston personal injury attorney for further details and guidance.

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