So far this month on the blog we’ve had a chance to discuss safety on foot and on the roads around the holiday season and how those issues are correlated to the Ontario Occupier’s Liability act and the Statutory Accidents Benefits system – respectively. If you’ve read these entries then you already know: when you need to talk to professional car accident lawyers in Toronto or the GTA, Goodman Elbassiouni LLP is certainly your best option. In the final entry in the trilogy, we’re going to look at work accidents and Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).
While many people take ample vacation time in December and over the holidays, a large portion of the population works straight through the holidays, taking off only Christmas day itself. Especially if you work on a job site where the construction is behind schedule, you may be pressured to work overtime through the holidays to make sure the bosses are kept happy.
Research in the 21st century has shown that a well slept worker is an effective worker. However, most managers don’t understand that pushing workers past the point of exhaustion is counter-productive. That said, just because your bosses are barbaric, doesn’t mean you have to work like a slave – this isn’t ancient Egypt, it’s Canada.
Working outdoors in the winter is treacherous enough as it is, if you or your coworkers are overtired, it makes matters even worse. Even if you’ve all had sufficient safety training, a human’s power of observation is simply not as strong when they are exhausted. Thus, unsafe conditions that may typically be rectified can sometimes go unnoticed when a crew is tired – and this leads to reckless mistakes. If you or someone on your crew is injured because of neglect, speak up and make sure the WSIB is notified, it’s only right. It’s also prudent to contact a workers compensation lawyer in Toronto when you experience a work injury: the WSIB is meant to pay you fair compensation, but they are often overburdened and understaffed.
At Goodman Elbassiouni LLP, we employ lawyers and paralegals who have direct experience working with the WSIB; we know the system inside out and can help you navigate the thorny claims and appeals process without the usual headache that this entails.
Christmas is not the time of year that you want to be dealing with an injury, but the truth is that accidents don’t take holidays. Be extra prudent in December and make sure that people are looking out for each other on the job site. If one of your colleagues is injured, start a collection for them or make sure that the managers know that you stand in solidarity with them. Remember: eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, and in Canada we have the liberty to claim fair compensation for lost wages, rehabilitation and personal trauma when we are injured at work. Don’t be silenced when tragedy strikes, contact our slip and fall lawyers and avoid being taken advantage of.
Well, that’s about it for the holiday blogs! The Goodman Elbassiouni LLP team wishes you and yours a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!
