All Georgia employers are required to keep the workplace as safe as possible for employees. This also includes providing proper training for workers and the proper equipment for them to be able to complete the job. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration also helps employers ensure that the workplace is safe by providing advice on how to prevent potentially fatal incidents.
For example, a workplace fatality occurred after a warehouse worker fell 7 feet off a wooden pallet. The pallet was being lifted off the ground by a forklift. It was common practice for the workers to use these elevated pallets to access the inventory that was stored on high shelves, even though the equipment was not designed for this purpose. The worker suffered fatal fall injuries after he slipped from the pallet, causing him to fall. He died at the hospital several days later.
To prevent these types of accidents, employers must provide employees with safe methods to access inventory that is stored on high shelves. Pallets are not designed for lifting workers to these high places; instead, employers should provide personnel lifting platforms that are designed to lift workers. Further, employers should not allow workers to stand or sit on pallets. Those who work near forklifts should also be provided with proper training to prevent them from using forklifts to lift other employees.
When employers require workers to complete jobs that have fall risks, they are required to ensure that they minimize those risks to the best of their abilities. This means providing the right equipment for the job and proper training to prevent potentially unsafe behaviors. If an employer does not provide the equipment or the training, an attorney may help a worker who suffered workplace injuries file a workers’ compensation claim. If the claim is denied, the attorney may file an appeal or litigate.
