Discussions of on-the-job injuries often focus on a worker’s industry or of their specific profession. Job risks are substantially different for a nurse than they are for a teacher, for example. Someone’s work environment does play a major role in their overall risk of getting hurt on the job and even influences the type of injuries that they are most likely to sustain.
There are also certain personal characteristics that could influence someone’s likelihood of injury while working. Age can directly influence the chances of suffering an injury or the severity of a workplace injury. How can a worker’s age affect their chances of getting hurt on the job?
Young professionals may have elevated risks
Those who have recently begun working in a new profession may lack the experience necessary to identify and avoid safety hazards. They may even be young enough to still have that sense of immortality that young adults enjoy. They can’t yet fully comprehend the long-term consequences of their actions, making them more likely to make poor choices with devastating consequences.
Young workers are also unfamiliar with their rights, making them more vulnerable to workplace safety violations. In the construction sector, for example, young workers are far more likely to die on the job than older employees. In fact, young Hispanic construction workers have the highest level of risk out of any demographic in the construction sector.
Older employees have unique risk factors as well
The human body changes as it ages. Many of those changes can increase someone’s chances of getting hurt or the severity of the injuries they experience. For example, bone density tends to decrease after the age of 50 or so in many adults.
Older workers who fall are therefore more likely to break bones. They are also more likely to develop severe fractures as opposed to simple breaks that are easy to treat without surgery. Older workers may also be more at risk of a fall due to their changing center of gravity and may have more difficulty managing equipment and tools due to slow reductions in their overall strength and range of motion.
It is common for older workers and people to have a degenerative disc disease (DDD) in their spine. A lot of the time it is asymptomatic– meaning it is not painful or even noticeable. Then after suffering a neck or back injury at work, the DDD will become symptomatic. The trauma aggravated the underlying disc problems in the spine. A lot of employer-friendly orthopedists do not acknowledge the DDD was aggravated by the trauma from the work injury, and will say “it was something you have had since you were born or very young.” That’s nonsense.
The Importance of Second Opinions
If any injured worker hurts their back, and the co-doctor is saying it’s pre existing although they never had the problem before the injury, they should definitely obtain a second opinion on their spine injury from a more objective doctor and favorable to the injured worker. To do this, they should consult with an attorney who knows which orthopedists will treat the injured worker fairly. No one knows them better than Law Office of Perry Dean Ellis, P.C..
The same can be said with shoulder and knee injuries as well. A lot of people have arthritic shoulders and knees that give them no problem until they do something to injure that body part on the job. The conservative doc will say its all preexisting. But if a work injury aggravates and makes symptomatic a pre existing condition, then it will likely be compensable. Its all in what doctor you are treating with.
Regardless of a worker’s age, they may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits if they get hurt on the job. Benefits can cover treatment costs ranging from surgery to set a bone to occupational therapy after a fall from a major elevation leads to a brain injury.
Workers of any age could potentially find themselves in need of medical coverage and disability benefits provided by workers’ compensation for a work-related injury. Filing a benefits claim after an on-the-job injury can help limit the financial consequences of a workplace incident for an affected employee.