Workers in warehouses, manufacturing facilities and other industrial careers often work close to heavy machinery. Forklifts, cherry pickers and a variety of other heavy equipment can be a constant source of injury risk on the job.
Heavy machinery and vehicles are among the top causes of worker injuries and deaths in industrial professions. In 2023, there were 67 workplace deaths related to forklift incidents alone. There were also more than 24,000 active worker claims due to recent or prior forklift incidents that caused injuries. Many other workers end up hurt by other specialized equipment or vehicles accessing workspaces.
What steps should employees take after sustaining an injury caused by a forklift, a vehicle or another piece of heavy equipment?
Document the incident
Fault generally isn’t a major consideration in a workplace injury scenario. However, workers may need to establish a clear timeline of what happened and who played a role. Using a mobile phone or a notebook to record exactly what happened in an incident involving heavy equipment can help preserve key details for later.
Notify management
Blue-collar workers generally pride themselves on their work ethic. They may not want to disrupt production at their workplace or leave early in a shift just because of a seemingly minor injury. Reporting a forklift incident or similar experience helps ensure that those making safety mistakes receive the training that they require to do their jobs safely. Workers also create an internal paper trail that can help affirm later that their injury occurred on the job.
Seek medical evaluation
Contact with heavy equipment, such as forklifts or vehicles, can cause significant injuries. Some of those injuries may not be obvious initially. Workers could have fractures where the bone remains in place or internal injuries. They could bleed internally or have a brain injury without realizing it. Unless they receive care quickly, their condition could worsen. They might also have a difficult time pursuing workers’ compensation if there is a significant delay in diagnosis.
Particularly in cases where blue-collar workers may need time away from work to heal, they may need help as they pursue workers’ compensation benefits. Securing medical and legal assistance after a work incident makes it easier for workers who need to optimize their benefits and get back to work after an issue with a forklift or other vehicles leads to injury.
