The introduction of the assembly line to production facilities revolutionized the industry. Companies can produce products much more efficiently using an assembly line. Efficiency means lower costs for the company which can either mean lower prices for the public or greater profits for the business.
Unfortunately, while the concept is brilliant on paper, production line work is pretty dangerous in reality. Many times, workers have to interact repeatedly with machines that could cause catastrophic, if not fatal, injuries. Even if the machinery isn’t inherently dangerous, the repetitive nature of the work definitely is.
The philosophy of using workers as expendable machine components has spread out to most other businesses as well. However, human bodies aren’t meant to operate like a machine, performing the same function over and over, day after day.
Doing the same work for many years will damage your body
Whether you fit two pieces together on an assembly line or transcribe medical reports by typing them out at a computer, doing the same work for hours every day is hard on your body. Performing the same tasks daily for many years can lead to severe injuries.
Repetitive stress or strain injuries don’t occur overnight. They gradually build over time if someone uses their body to do the same thing frequently. Repetitive motion injuries can affect joints and connective tissue as well as muscles. Jobs have different repetitive motion injury risks, but people in almost any profession who have to do the same labor daily could be at risk for a repetitive stress injury.
Workers’ compensation protects you from repetitive motion injuries
Traumatic injuries as the result of a workplace accident aren’t the only kind of medical conditions that qualify people for workers’ compensation. Any adverse medical condition directly caused by someone’s work or a pre-existing condition worsened by job functions potentially makes a person eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.
You have the right to ask for medical coverage and disability benefits while you recover. You may also be able to ask your employer to accommodate you by allowing for breaks or shifting responsibilities that don’t aggravate your injury. Standing up for yourself by getting those benefits will increase the likelihood that you can continue to work without enduring an ever-increasing amount of pain.
