Southern Minnesota Workers' Compensation Law Blog

Workers in Minnesota and elsewhere who are exposed to the vibrations of power tools for many years might not realize the dangers for serious injuries. Those who work in manufacturing, construction, forestry, food processing, agriculture and other industries that use power tools are at risk of developing a workplace injury called Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), also known as Vibration White Finger Syndrome (VWF). The tools that could cause this affliction include grinders, chainsaws, jackhammers, chippers, crushers, mowers, sorting conveyors and more.

This condition could ultimately lead to amputation of the fingertips due to the development of gangrene. It starts with symptoms that include short spells of numbness and tingling of the fingers, and develops into painful hand spasms that could last up to an hour at a time. It also causes the fingers to become a whitish color. With the progression of the condition, the victim might become unable to work with small objects like nuts and bolts, and buttoning a shirt might even become a problem.

Health care workers in Minnesota face an endless list of occupational hazards. Injuries caused by sharp objects represent a sizable percentage of overall incidents. Registered nurses are at a significant risk of nursing accidents that expose them to blood-borne infections if safety protocols lack standards to monitor use and disposal safety of needles and other sharp instruments and objects.

Research by the American Nurses Association indicates that these risks concern almost two-thirds of the members of the association. Authorities believe that only about one-half of needlestick injuries are reported, making the annual incidents even more staggering than the reported approximate 385,000 per year. These numbers were reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Minnesota workers in various industries are exposed to the dangers posed by confined spaces. Employers must inform employees of potential hazards, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has stringent rules about confined spaces and regulating access to these areas to help prevent an employee from suffering a workplace injury. Many workers do not realize that confined spaces are not necessarily small -- even a tanker is a confined space because there are limited entry and exit points.

Some confined spaces require permits for anyone entering them because there are severe safety and health risks present. Hazards could include toxic atmospheres, the lack of oxygen, flammable atmospheres, physical or mechanical hazards, or loose materials such as grain that could engulf a worker in a grain bin. Another risk is the fact that tasks such as welding can change an area that was deemed safe into a space with insufficient oxygen.

If you are suffering an injury that you received on the job, it’s important to be able to recover costs for medical expenses, lost wages and more. Workers’ compensation is an insurance required of all businesses that should be there to provide you with these funds when you need them most.

But it can be frustrating to have a legitimate claim denied. If you’ve found yourself denied for a work-related injury, here are a few steps you can take to get the help you need.