Landscape workers are some of the hardest workers out there. It is a tough job to do, especially given the heat of summer. Homeowners have to rely on landscapers to make their yards and homes look beautiful from the outside, and as with any job that is physically demanding there will be risks of work-related injuries. The types of work injuries landscapers suffer can vary given the many types of jobs they do. A problem arises when the landscaping coming does not pay any workers’ comp benefits when an employee is injured. If you have questions about a work-related landscaping injury, you need to contact a knowledgeable and skilled workers’ compensation lawyer to help you get the benefits you need.
Common Landscaper Work Injuries
Mowing yards and maintaining landscaping every week requires hard physical labor. Not only do landscapers have to worry about injuries caused by physical labor, malfunctioning machines, and accidents, but during the high heat of the summer they can experience heat-related medical conditions that can cause serious health problems, even leading to fatalities. Here are some common work-related injuries that landscapers often experience:
Back and Neck Injuries
Because landscapers have to do a lot of physical labor and lift a lot of heavy things, there is always the risk of back injuries. Hard physical labor can cause pulled back muscles, damaged and torn cervical spine (neck) muscles, and torn and injured ligaments and tendons. Serious back injuries can include bulging and herniated discs that can cause symptoms running down the arms and legs, depending at what level of the spine the herniation occurred. This could cause arms and legs to experience shooting pain, numbness, and weakness. Herniated discs can be treated conservatively with physical therapy, but in serious cases surgery is necessary.
Repetitive Motion Injuries
Repetitive motion injuries are usually muscle, nerve, and joint injuries caused by doing an activity over and over again. There are many things that landscapers do that are repetitive in nature. One of most common conditions from repetitive use is carpal tunnel and wrist injuries. When workers engage in repetitive use of their arms and hands, it can cause damage to the ulnar nerve which can cause numbness, weakness, and down the forearm, into the wrist, and the fingers. It can prevent employees from being able to do their jobs. Often, the only way to fix the problem is with immobilization, and eventually surgery.
Amputations and Injuries from Machinery
Landscapers often use machines with sharp blades, such as lawnmowers, clippers, weedwhackers, chainsaws, and other potentially dangerous machines. When landscapers make mistakes and accidentally cut themselves or amputate fingers, hands, arms, and feet, they are still entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. even though the incident was their fault. Sometimes the machines they use can malfunction which causes the injury. No matter how the injury happened, the injured landscaper is still entitled to have their work-related medical bills paid and lost wages paid by their employer’s workers’ compensation insurance.
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
When rarer traumatic brain injuries (TBI) happen, they cause significant problems for workers. Brain injuries such as closed head injuries, concussions, and fractured skulls can be caused by workers being struck by falling objects and the worker is not wearing a hard hat. TBI can also be caused when landscapers slip, trip, and fall, hitting their head on a hard surface. Slips and falls happen quite often in the landscaping business.
Exposure to Dangerous Chemicals
Landscapers use many chemicals such as pesticides and weed killers. Without proper safety gear such as masks, filters, and gloves, workers can be over exposed to these chemicals. This exposure can cause breathing issues. Also, certain pesticides and herbicides have been proven to cause cancer in humans when there is exposure.
Hearing Loss
Landscapers are constantly using and are around loud noises from lawnmowers, weedwhackers, leaf blowers, and other loud machines. When workers are exposed to high levels of noise on a consistent basis without using proper hearing protection, it can cause a loss of hearing.
Heat Stroke
Landscapers are often working during the hottest part of the day and are outside the entire time. If landscape workers are not careful, they could easily experience heat related symptoms. If not treated properly, the early symptoms of excess heat exposure can escalate quickly to the point where the worker has a heat stroke and can die. Here are the symptoms that heat stroke can cause:
- Aches, pain, and cramps of the muscles
- Clammy skin
- Dizzy
- Headaches
- Increased breathing
- Increased heart rate
- Mental confusion
- Passing out
- Seizures
- Severe sweating
- Thirst
- Vomiting
If you or a coworker experience any of these symptoms, the best way to stop the progression of symptoms is to cool the person down as quickly as possible. Make sure they rest in a cool and shady environment, and begin drinking cool water or sports drinks to replace their electrolytes. Place a wet, cool cloth on the back of their neck and pulse points. If the symptoms continue, bring them to the emergency room immediately.
The Cherry Hill Workers’ Compensation Lawyers at Pietras Saracino Smith & Meeks, LLP Have Answers to Your New Jersey Workers’ Comp Questions
If you work for a landscaping business and have suffered a work-related injury, you are entitled to these benefits regardless of your immigration status. The Cherry Hill workers’ compensation lawyers at Pietras Saracino Smith & Meeks, LLP are waiting to fight for your rights. Contact us today at 856-335-7732 or contact us online to schedule your free consultation. With offices in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, we proudly serve our neighbors in Camden, Cinnaminson, Delran, Maple Shade, Pennsauken, and throughout South Jersey.
