Studies have shown that the first few weeks on a new job are some of the most dangerous for employees, but that doesn’t mean the risk of injury evaporates once an employee becomes comfortable at their job. In fact, in many industries, the risk of injury can tick upwards when workers fall into routines at work. Complacency can kill or maim on the jobsite, and we want to be your resource in the event you are injured at work due to complacency.
The Risks Of The Routine
We talk with employees all the time who have been injured because of their complacency or the complacency of others. It happens much more often than you may imagine. Think about your job and which actions you could, in theory, complete with your eyes closed.
Perhaps you’ve pulled countless items off the assembly line without issue. Maybe your co-worker knows that you should understand the risks of rounding a corner without looking when they are operating a forklift, so they assume they can drive their machine at unsafe speeds or without checking their blindspot because it’s always worked out in the past. Issues like this happen all the time in the workplace because people assume past actions will hold true in the future.
Complacency in the workplace and its relation to workplace injuries has been studied at length by many parties. As Psychologist Daniel Kahneman has described in his work, two specific systems are at play when routine becomes risky:
1. At the outset, tasks and skills require deliberate attention and analytical thinking, and expertise develops as repeated practice hones these skills.
2. Eventually our brains start to automate these tasks with little conscious effort.
Problems can occur when the first line of thinking transitions to the second. It’s wonderful that you’re more comfortable and skilled at performing work-related tasks, but that doesn’t mean necessary safety measures can take a back seat during these actions. Nobody intends to cause an accident or injure someone else during mundane or routine tasks, but oftentimes it’s these actions that prove more dangerous than inherently risky tasks, like climbing a tall ladder or using sharp or heavy equipment.
At Hey Workers, we help clients who have experienced all types of injuries at work. As long as you didn’t intentionally injure yourself, you are entitled to compensation even if it was your complacency that directly caused your injuries. You took your eyes off the equipment for a couple of seconds and your hand was crushed in a machine. You rushed to load some shelves that you’ve done many times but missed a minor problem that wasn’t there in the past, and it contributed to catastrophic failure. In these moments, we’re here for you.
When it comes to your injury claim, you can trust that we won’t get complacent. We understand that this injury may be a major concern for you, your family, your financial situation and your career trajectory. We’ll ensure all of these factors are considered when we’re developing an airtight claim to get you every penny you deserve.
For more information on how we can assist with your injury case, or to talk with a lawyer to see if you have a valid workers’ compensation claim, connect with the team at Hey Workers today at (844) 439-9675.
