Business owners have a lot on their plate as they focus on complying with new laws for employee health benefits and struggle to compete in an economy where growth is still relatively slow. A recent survey, however, shows that for many small businesses, the top concern is not necessarily cyber security or professional liability. Instead, many small business owners say that one of their biggest worries is keeping employees safe on the job.
While it’s good news that small business owners place a premium on employee safety, the fact is that limited budgets and a lack of widespread OSHA enforcement can make it difficult for workplaces to be as safe as they could be. Even when employers are careful and do everything right, a worker could still be hurt. This is why workers’ compensation benefits provide coverage for any on-the-job injury no matter whether any negligence was involved or not. Victims who are hurt because of their work duties can get benefits and a workers’ compensation lawyer can help.
Small Business Owners Concerned about Safety
Recently, eWeek reported on the results of a survey conducted by interview in November of 2013. A nationally representative sample of 502 small businesses was chosen for the survey, each with fewer than 100 employees.
A total of 35 percent of the business owners who responded indicated that their greatest source of worry was workplace safety risks. The same percentage of respondents said that they planned to spend more time addressing the risks of workplace hazardous than they would spend addressing other concerns such as professional liability and cyber security.
Just 26 percent of respondents cited professional liability risks as a top worry, while 25 percent said cyber-security risks were their concern and 10 percent had a fear of terrorism or natural disasters.
Small business owners talked about specific hazards that they felt most, and least, prepared to protect their workers from. The employers felt the least prepared to address acts of workplace violence; fires or explosions; and slip-and-falls. However, small business owners felt most prepared to minimize the risks of:
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Employees coming into contact with harmful or dangerous objects and equipment.
Four out of five small businesses did not mention slip and falls as a workplace hazard that they were well-prepared for. This is a problem because slip and falls are a leading cause of injury and death on the job. Almost ½ of all nonfatal workplace injuries are caused by slip and falls, and fall injuries cause around 15 percent of fatal workplace injuries in the private sector. With slip and falls such as prevalent cause of harm to workers, employers should focus efforts on reducing the dangers of these common accidents.
Call Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your workers’ compensation claim– (617) 777-7777.
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