South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

It's really starting to warm up out there and as the summer heat rolls in, officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are rolling out their national campaign to help raise awareness about heat-related work injuries in Boca Raton and elsewhere.

Workers in the state of Florida are at high risks for these kinds of accidents year round, but these risks really skyrocket through the summer months. This year's safety campaign is working to spread the word about the risks associated with the Florida heat and to raise awareness about precautionary steps that can be taken to help to reduce the risks for these injuries. Prevention is simple. It just takes a little knowledge.

"If employers take reasonable precautions, and look out for their workers, we can beat the heat," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis.

Our Boca Raton injury attorneys understand that were have been about 30 workers killed every year across the U.S. since 2003 because of heat-related work injuries. Thousands more are injured annually. It's those who complete labor-intensive outdoor work that are at the highest risks for these kinds of accidents. These positions include farmers, construction workers, roadside workers, roofers, landscapers and more. Employees and employers are urged to review procedures regarding heat injuries to help to keep everyone safe on the job during the warmest of Florida months. If not treated quickly, heat-related illnesses can quickly turn fatal. These injuries oftentimes start off as heat rash or heat cramps, but can turn into deadly injuries, like heat stroke or heat exhaustion, in a matter of seconds.

Luckily, there a few precautionary steps that employers and employees should follow to help keep everyone safe out there. If you remember three important words, water, rest and shade, we can all do our part to help prevent these kinds of injuries. Review the following safety tips and share them with your coworkers, your friends and your family to help to further ensure everyone's safety in the Florida heat.

Tips to Avoid Heat-Related Injuries:

-Remember these three words: Water. Rest. Shade.

-Drink water often. Hydration is key in helping to reduce the risks for heat-related accidents.

-Take frequent, short breaks.

-Limit your time spent in the sun and in the heat.

-Start tougher and more extensive work in the morning when temps are generally cooler.

-Allow new employees to gradually work their way into working in the heat. Don't throw them out there the first day.

-Train everyone on the work site to recognize the symptoms of heat-related illnesses.

-Train workers on what to do if an employee is showing signs of a heat-related illness.

-Plan for an emergency and know what to do -- acting quickly can save lives!

Continue reading "Heat-Related Illnesses in Boca Raton and Elsewhere Likely with Summer Months" »

This week various transportation agencies will be joining together to raise awareness of accidents in work zones as it is National Work Zone Safety Week. This year's theme is "Safer driving. Safer work zones" and FDOT is urging motorists to be cautious in construction zones and around emergency responders in attempt to reduce risks of a Fort Lauderdale work zone accidents.

Naples construction accident lawyers ask that you practice safe, alert driving in these construction areas to help reduce the risk of unnecessary injuries to you, your vehicle or a road worker. Florida's move over law requires that you move over or slow down for stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights.

The Transportation Development Foundation reports that overall roadway fatalities fell by three percent in 2010, to the lowest recorded level since 1949. Still, in 2009 nearly 700 workers and motorists were killed in these highway work zones. More than 40,000 were injured. It is estimated that roughly 85 percent of those killed were drivers and their passengers. Florida experienced nearly 100 fatal accidents in work and construction zones in 2009, according to the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse.

The American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) offers you these simple tips to help us around emergency responders and in construction zones:

-Keep an eye out for workers and their vehicles in work zones.

-Plan ahead. If you know your commute involves a work zone, leave earlier to allow more time or find an alternate route.

-Recognize and abide by the work zone signs.

-Stay aware of other drivers. Practice defensive driving habits.

-Merge as soon as possible. Don't wait until the last minute to get out of the way of these workers and responders. Last-minute decisions will only increase your risk of getting yourself into a compromising driving situation.

-It is especially important to avoid driving while distracted in these zones.

FDOT created a public service announcement to help alert Floridians during National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week.

Continue reading "National Work Zone Safety Week a Reminder of Risks of South Florida Car Accidents in Construction Zones" »

Police continue to investigate a horrific Cape Coral traffic accident that killed an employee on the back of a garbage truck, the Fort Myers News-Press reported.

Many people do not associate fatal South Florida work accidents with traffic accidents. However, nearly half of all work-related fatalities are the result of a motor vehicle accident, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2008, traffic accidents killed 2,053 of the 5,071 employees who died in work accidents in the United States. In Florida, 107 of the 290 work-related fatalities were the result of a traffic accident.

In this case, a 52-year-old temporary employee for Waste Management died on Monday morning after a pickup truck slammed into the back of a garbage truck, where he was standing.

Detectives continue to investigate and will not say whether they believe drugs or alcohol were involved; charges could hinge on the outcome of a blood test.

The crash occurred on Skyline Boulevard in Cape Coral, where the victim and another employee were emptying garbage cans. The truck had its flashing safety lights on and both men were wearing safety vests. The impact of the crash shoved the victim beneath the garbage truck.

He was flown to Lee Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He had worked for Waste Management for several years through an employment service, Labor Finders.

A total of 31 workers in the garbage collection industry died in the United States in 2008, according to the National Solid Waste Management Association, a rate 10 times higher than the national average.