Atlanta Injury Law Blog

In Georgia, on-the-job injuries and fatalities are all too common and show no sign of decreasing. To promote greater safety, the 2016 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries has released data on the most dangerous jobs in the U.S. The results show that some industries are more hazardous than expected.

Topping the list was the logging industry, which suffered 135.9 on-the-job fatalities per 100,000 full-time or equivalent workers. This was followed by the categories of fishing workers, aircraft pilots/flight engineers and roofers. One surprising inclusion was the trash and recycling collection industry, which had a fatal work injury rate of 34.1.

Since 2014, the annual number of traffic deaths has increased by 10 percent. Drivers in Georgia are probably thinking that technology is to blame. While public safety officials have not made a definitive link yet, this indeed seems to be the case. Mobile tech and automated features are making many drivers distracted and complacent.

Many recent studies have come out exploring the relationship between technology and driver behavior. For instance, an analysis by AAA had 64 participants drive in five different vehicles that each contained a built-in infotainment system. The participants were asked to make calls, text, enter destinations and use the other features of the infotainment systems. At other points, they were asked to do the same for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. These interfaces run off smartphones.

A recent rise in pedestrian deaths is being attributed to distracted walkers and drivers using smartphones and other handheld devices. According to research by the Governors Highway Safety Association, more than 6,000 pedestrians lost their lives in 2017. In Georgia, pedestrian deaths rose by 11 percent. While no scientific conclusions have yet to be made, experts believe that distractions as well as intoxicated walking could account for the increase.

The spike in pedestrian deaths, which are now at a 25-year high, is coming at a time when vast improvements to vehicle safety are being implemented with technologies like emergency braking systems and collision-alert technology. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety notes, however, states that poor vehicle headlights remain a huge problem. With 75 percent of pedestrian fatalities occurring at night, illumination appears to be a critical part of the issue.

Workplace injuries are all too common across Georgia, and their number only increases when employers turn the other way and choose not to address worker safety. However, employers do harm both to their employees and to themselves when they ignore the issue: there is an increase in workers' compensation costs and medical expenses and a decrease in employee morale, employee retention and business productivity. The company's branding will ultimately suffer as well.

This is where employers should consider five safety tips. The first tip is to be proactive in the organization of a safety culture. Everything must begin from the top down. The second is to conduct an anonymous survey asking employees what they know of corporate safety policies, what they expect from others and how they regard their own duties. With this feedback, a good idea can be formed of how employees perceive the safety of their workplace.