New Jersey Personal Injury Law Blog

4 reasons ladder accidents tend to occur

On behalf of Testa Heck Testa & White, P.A. on Wednesday, August 7, 2019.

Whether you work in a factory, office, warehouse or somewhere else, you may occasionally or routinely climb onto a ladder to reach high places. When you do, you must be careful always to comply with safety recommendations and procedures. If you fail to do so, you may find yourself in a hospital’s emergency room.

When it comes to ladder safety, the statistics are alarming. Each year, around 130,000 Americans need emergency medical care following a ladder accident. Even worse, more than 300 individuals die in ladder-related incidents. To be sure you do not sustain a serious injury when working with a ladder, you should know why ladder accidents tend to occur. Here are four primary reasons.

What to do after you get hit by a drunk driver

On behalf of Testa Heck Testa & White, P.A. on Wednesday, May 8, 2019.

Drunk driving is a severe and unacceptable problem. In 2016, there were more than 10,000 deaths due to alcohol-related accidents. If you are a victim of a drunk driving accident and make it out alive, you should do everything possible to obtain monetary compensation for your suffering.

Getting hit by a drunk driver can not only cost you a ton of money in terms of vehicle damages and medical expenses, but it can also result in significant emotional turmoil. Here are some steps you should take if a drunk driver injures you in a crash.

Employer safety requirements for gas workers

On behalf of Testa Heck Testa & White, P.A. on Saturday, February 9, 2019.

If you work in the oil and gas industry, you likely face a multitude of dangers every day. From hazardous chemicals to risk of explosion, there are many reasons to take extra precautions to protect yourself against work-related injuries. This is where personal protective equipment, or PPE, comes into play.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration dictates that all employers should assess workplace hazards and provide proper PPE to employees. As a worker in a perilous industry, regulations entitle you to certain equipment to help you stay safe.

Preventing truck accidents this holiday season: Part 1

On behalf of Testa Heck Testa & White, P.A. on Wednesday, November 14, 2018.

As the holiday season swings into gear, the one thing you should keep in mind while out is the increase in car and truck accidents in South Jersey. Though there is not much you can do to control other drivers, there are many things you can do to stay safe on the roads.

Trucks and commercial rigs are much larger than passenger vehicles, and considerably more dangerous. They transport heavy cargo, hazardous chemicals and other goods all across the country. While it may seem like common sense for people to drive responsibly around semi-trucks and commercial vehicles, many motorists make mistakes and act irresponsibly around them to avoid collisions. Here are a few pointers on driving safely to avoid truck accidents.

Risk of falling is not the only hazard of ladder use

On behalf of Testa Heck Testa & White, P.A. on Wednesday, August 15, 2018.

Many professions use a basic piece of equipment, the ladder, as part of their everyday work. Construction workers, tree workers, window washers, painters, and a whole host of other types of workers have to use ladders to perform their jobs.

In New Jersey in 2016, one in 33 workers sustained an occupational injury or illness, with 93,000 work-related injuries or illnesses in New Jersey workplaces. Improving safety in high-risk occupations by mitigating the hazards of equipment, such as ladders, is one way to reduce these injuries.

Traumatic brain injury: high risk for construction workers

On behalf of Testa Heck Testa & White, P.A. on Tuesday, May 15, 2018.

As a New Jersey construction worker, the various job sites where you work can be hectic, noisy and even dangerous. Because of the types of work you do, you often must do them at a considerable height, such as on roofs, scaffolding or tall ladders. Consequently, you are at high risk of falling and sustaining a debilitating injury, one of the most frequent of which is a traumatic brain injury: a head or neck injury that causes your brain to dysfunction.

Nationwide, over 2,200 construction workers sustained a fatal TBI during a recent eight-year period. Over 50 percent of these injuries were the result of a fall, accounting for 25 percent of all construction fatalities.

Stay alert and be patient going through construction zones

On behalf of Testa Heck Testa & White, P.A. posted in blog on Friday, February 16, 2018.

You may be on a busy freeway going at least 55 miles per hour when you come upon a construction zone. The road may not be good here, and the work may go on for miles.

Drivers should pay particular attention when making their way through construction areas of any size to avoid a potentially catastrophic crash.

3 things your employer should do to prevent winter injuries

On behalf of Testa Heck Testa & White, P.A. posted in blog on Thursday, November 16, 2017.

As the weather gets colder in New Jersey, your work changes. No matter what industry you are in, winter weather can impact your daily responsibilities at your job. Inclement weather conditions can contribute to or directly cause a workplace injury. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, ice, sleet and snow were involved in 42,480 workplace injuries in 2014.

How are you supposed to stay safe at your job when winter comes? Here are some things your employer should be doing to prevent you from getting hurt at work.

Top 3 reasons construction workers fall and get injuries

On behalf of Testa Heck Testa & White, P.A. posted in blog on Wednesday, August 23, 2017.

As a construction worker, you are well aware of the hard work you do. Along with this hard work comes several hazards. Virtually every workplace has some risks, but did you know that the construction industry has the most fall-related fatalities? This shocking statistic means it is crucial for every construction worker to be cognizant of what leads to these deaths.

There are a lot of reasons construction workers may fall while working, but there are three major ones. Here are the most common hazards contributing to falls on construction sites.

Pedestrian deaths are on the rise in the United States

On behalf of Testa Heck Testa & White, P.A. posted in blog on Tuesday, May 23, 2017.

Recent research shows that pedestrian fatalities are on the rise in the United States. Fatality rates for pedestrians surged 25 percent from 2010 to 2015, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. Overall traffic fatalities rose by 6 percent during the same time frame. The trend for pedestrian deaths is not promising, with more fatalities being reported each year.

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