If you work on a Louisiana railroad, you may enjoy a career that spans several decades. In fact, like many railroad workers, you might come from a long line of family members who also earned their livings on the railroad. It’s no secret that railroad work often ranks high among the most dangerous jobs in the nation.
Your employer can help you lower your risk for injury by providing proper training and safety equipment, adhering to regulations and fulfilling all employer-based obligations that are safety-related. Interestingly, your age may also have an impact on your risk for injury, at least for the types of injuries you are most at risk for at a given time.
Younger workers
If you’re in the age 20 to 25 age group, you are among those who are more likely to work with mechanized and heavy machinery. Whether you work in the assembly process of such products or employ their use as you carry out your daily duties, studies show this age group suffers the most machine-related injuries on the railroad.
Between ages 30 and 40
If you have passed your 30th birthday but haven’t yet reached age 41, you may be more prone toward injuries involving hand tools on the railroad. The good news is that, the longer you work on the railroad, the lower this particular risk happens to be.
The over-50 crowd
If you’re still active in a railroad job by age 50 or beyond, you are at great risk for several types of injuries, including slips and falls, heavy-lifting injuries and also moving-vehicle collisions.
In short, the youngest and oldest railroad workers, as well as those with the least on-the-job experience, are at greatest risk for personal injury during normal course of duty. The exact type of work you do also plays a significant role in your propensity to suffer injury on the job.
What if age, job type or longevity has nothing to do with it?
Staying updated on current accepted safety standards, and being alert, diligent and cautious on the job, may help improve your personal safety. Sadly, however, many railroad worker injuries occur when officials are negligent or when safety equipment malfunctions or someone fails to do what they are supposed to do. In such cases, it helps to speak to someone well versed in the Federal Employers Liability Act as a means of avoiding obstacles when filing a benefits claim.
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