Many workers may experience repetitive motion injuries over the course of their career. How do these injuries relate to workers’ compensation?
Employee burnout is very real in our current society that values productivity over worker well being. The term is commonly used to describe the effects an employee endures after being overworked in the workplace. Long hours, difficult work environments, and large workloads can lead to employees feeling fatigued, stressed, and generally exhausted. Recent data shows that 7 out of 10 employees have experienced burnout before, and at least 4 out of 10 employees are experiencing it in their current career/workplace.
There’s more to employee burnout than fatigue, stress, and mental duress. Being overworked can also lead to physical injury. Repetitive motion injuries are an example of the physical effects of employee burnout. Repetitive motion injuries occur gradually over time as a result of long hours spent doing monotonous work. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a widely-known repetitive motion injury that can happen in any work environment from an office to a factory.
Overexertion and repetitive motion injuries make up 33.5% of all work-related injuries. That’s one-third of all injuries in the workplace. They occur across all fields, and although they often go unnoticed for long periods of time, if they go untreated or the repetitive motions continue, the injury could require surgery to keep from disabling the worker.
There are also more extreme injuries than can occur as a result of employee burnout. If employees are overworked long hours and experience fatigue, it can lower their alertness and caution. For example, if a laborer on a factory floor is working with heavy machinery and loses focus for even a moment, the results can be catastrophic to the operator as well as co-employees. Something as simple as forgetting to replace a machinery guard or close a safety barrio result in injury or death. While we are shopping remotely, something as seemingly harmless as package processing recently caused a death in Kansas City.
Employee burnout has many effects, and physical injuries such as repetitive motion injuries are just one example.Repetitive motion injuries are unique as they happen gradually. Repetitive motion injuries start small and workers often ignore the symptoms, but without attention they will only get worse. If you are routinely relying on over the counter pain relievers after work, you should pay attention to your work environment. It is important to report your symptoms as soon as you notice them if you want to preserve your rights.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, front line “essential” workers are facing employee burnout more than ever. Employee burnout and its effects are very real issues and they can be damaging to your mental health and physical well-being. If you or a loved one has been hurt, contact us for a free consultation. You can call us at 314-252-9937, our toll-free number 866-955-5297, or email us at courtnotices@farrislaw.org.