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Don’t Break Your Back For Your Boss
When you decide to work for a company full time, there are a few things that you should be able to expect from them. For instance, you should be able to expect them to only fire you if there is an issue with the quality of the service that you are providing. Or, if the company itself is shutting down. However, one of the most important things that you should be able to expect from a business that you work for is safety. You should be able to know that the owner of that business is going to ensure that you are safe while you are at work and on the job.
The Responsibility Of Your Employer
What does this mean? Well, they shouldn’t put you in a position where you are in danger of getting hurt physically or mentally. Unfortunately, approximately eighty percent of workers in office jobs across America are thought to suffer from RSI. It is one of the most common injuries in offices today, and it can be life-changing. It can leave you with physical pain, and it’s simple enough to avoid. Employers just need to make sure that their workers are taking regular breaks. If they do this, there should be no issues with RSI. However, they incorrectly believe that by avoiding breaks for their staff they are keeping the business efficient.
Then, there are issues with mental health problems. In work, your mental health can be impacted by a variety of factors. For instance, your business might be providing undue stress in your life. If that’s the case, you might want to think about looking at other careers. But ideally, a business shouldn’t have put you in a position like this in the first place?
Taking Action
But what happens if an employment position did lead to damage to your health? What should you do.
Well, it depends on whether the employer was aware of the problem. Before the 1980’s anyone that was exposed to Asbestos had no real legal right to sue because the danger of the substance was not known. Today, however, if exposure to asbestos in your job has lead to mesothelioma you have every right to seek damages. Particularly if you were not provided with the right protection.
Similarly, you might have been exposed to loud noises in your career, leaving you with tinnitus. While not a fatal injury, it certainly would affect your quality of life and again, you would have the right to take legal action against the company that was at fault here.
Is There Still A Danger
You might think that with changes to work health and safety laws and the threat of an expensive lawsuit the danger you could encounter in your work is minimal. However, if the stats on RSI tell us anything, it’s that employers are still not taking the health and safety of their workers seriously and they are certainly not making it a top priority. As such, there may come a time where you need to fight back against a business that has left you with life-changing injuries.
