by Kenneth A. David, Esq.

Accidents can happen anytime in an employee’s employment, but it is not surprising to us to see an accident in the first few days or weeks of employment. Certainly, some of these claims may be the result of an employee becoming disillusioned with the job when he believes the job he was hired for is not the job he is actually doing. But there may be a less insidious reason — the employee is not familiar with safety protocols in general and her specific job in particular. The employee may have come from a job where safety was not part of the culture. Or the employee may be in an environment she is unaccustomed to, such as working outdoors in the summer heat, something that OSHA is warning about as the summer begins.

Safety instructions must be repeated constantly and consistently. When it comes to preventing injuries, it is far better to assume employees do not know safety protocols or have forgotten.