As we have seen with the recent hurricanes in the south, high winds can destroy everything in their path. While many employees spend their workdays in the predictable calm and quiet of their cubicle or office, others are exposed to these unpredictable forces of nature. For workers who perform their jobs outside, the risk of injuries caused by strong wind hazards is real.

Construction workers, highway repairmen, emergency personnel, and other workers can be injured by falling or flying debris, vehicle tip-overs, and slip and fall accidents caused by high winds. The following are ways to protect workers in high winds and what to do if you experience a weather-related accident.

Strong winds can be dangerous in many ways. Wind-related accidents happen because of:

• Airborne objects
• Impact with dropped or loosened cargo
• Objects falling from higher surfaces
• Slips, trips, and falls
• Vehicle tip-overs

These accidents can leave workers with sprains, strains, broken bones, and head, neck, and spine injuries.

Protecting Yourself from Strong Winds

There are precautions workers can take to protect themselves from strong winds:

• Limit or postpone tasks that require moving or transporting large or heavy objects.
• Remove or secure all equipment and debris on elevated surfaces.
• Wear safety gear, including googles and a hard hat, while working in strong winds.
• Workers who drive large vehicles should always reduce their speed in high winds.

Ultimately, if high winds pose a serious threat to worker safety, employees should move indoors and resume working during safe conditions.

Workers’ Compensation Benefits for High Wind Accidents

High winds can come on very quickly, leaving workers unprepared and vulnerable to injury. If you become injured because of a weather-related work accident, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits for your injuries. Workers’ compensation benefits help ill and injured workers pay for medical expenses and supplement lost income after a work accident or illness.

These benefits can be essential to protect you and your family if you are unable to work because of your injuries. To protect these important benefits, you must take the proper steps to file your claim and do so before the Pennsylvania statute of limitations runs out. If you wait too long to file a claim, you may jeopardize your right to benefits.

What To Do After a Work Accident

The first important step in the workers’ compensation claim process is to report your accident to your employer immediately. If your injuries warrant it, go to the emergency room. Otherwise, check with your employer to see if you need to seek a certain doctor to obtain the appropriate medical care. Your employer is responsible for filing a claim with their workers’ compensation insurance company. Follow up with them to make sure your claim has been filed.

Philadelphia Workers’ Compensation Attorneys at Larry Pitt & Associates, P.C. Advocate for Pennsylvania’s Injured Workers

Philadelphia workers’ compensation attorneys at Larry Pitt & Associates, P.C. will answer any questions you have about the claims process and assist if you disagree with the benefits you receive or if your claim is denied. To discuss your work injury, call 888-PITT-LAW or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.

Conveniently located in Philadelphia, we represent injured workers in Berks County, Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, Philadelphia County, and throughout Pennsylvania, including those in the communities of Abington, Ambler, Ardmore, Bala Cynwyd, Bensalem, Clifton Heights, Crum Lynne, Darby, Downingtown, Doylestown, Drexel Hill, Essington, Folcroft, Glenolden, Haverford, Havertown, Holmes, Kutztown, Lansdowne, Media, Merion Station, Morton, Narberth, Norristown, Norwood, Philadelphia, Prospect Park, Quakertown, Reading, Roxborough, Sharon Hill, Upper Darby, West Chester, and Wynnewood.