Many workers face the risk of a caught-between injury. This can lead to severe issues, including amputation injuries, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries and more. Even minor injuries can keep a worker off the job for weeks or months, so they need to understand their rights to seek workers’ comp benefits to cover things like lost wages or necessary medical expenses.
One example of a caught-between injury is when a worker is pinned between a stationary object and a vehicle. OSHA uses the example of a rotating crane, but it could also be a forklift, a dump truck or another piece of heavy equipment used on a job site. These injuries often happen when there is miscommunication between workers, such as when one worker rotates the crane and is unaware that another worker is in a dangerous position and at risk of being caught between the two objects.
Entanglement injuries
These are also similar to entanglement injuries, which can happen with certain types of machinery. For example, a worker may need to use a conveyor belt or another rotating piece of machinery in the course of their job. But if their hair, clothing or even an extremity becomes entangled in the machine, they can be pulled into it in a split second.
There are often steps that employers can take to help avoid these issues. There may be dress codes in place to help limit long hair or dangerous clothing. There may be safety guards on the machines to help workers keep their hands away from dangerous surfaces.
But any time workers are using heavy equipment, there is always the potential that something could go wrong and they could suffer severe injuries. When this happens, it can be helpful for them to explore their options with an experienced workers’ comp attorney.
