Arkansas plants manufacture all kinds of dangerous products including various missiles and ammunition.
Blast Injuries at Work
Explosions and blast events in the workplace often grab national attention due to their dramatic nature. These situations can also cause serious injuries or death for workers.
Fires and explosions may occur less often than other workplace accidents like transportation incidents, slips and falls, and exposure to harmful substances, but fires and explosions are just as dangerous. Deaths from fires and explosions increased in 2021 and 2022.
In 2022, 107 workers died from fires and explosions in the workplace, according to the BLS. These included 53 deaths from workplace fires and 54 deaths from workplace explosions.
In an explosion, workers may experience blast injuries. A blast injury is a complex form of physical trauma. These injuries can harm internal organs, cause traumatic brain injuries, and do extensive damage to extremities and other organs, including the eyes and ears.
The US Department of Defense divides blast injuries into five categories depending on the way the injuries occur. Primary blast injuries are caused by the pressure created by an explosion. This pressure can crush body parts and cause internal injuries. Secondary injuries occur when the pressure front throws debris against the body, causing injuries. In a tertiary blast injury, blast pressure may cause a fall or other injuries like broken bones, amputations, and crush injuries. Other injuries, like burns, inhaled toxic fumes, and environmental contaminants that disperse after a blast, can also occur.
Workers’ Compensation and Third-Party Claims in Arkansas
When an employee is injured at work, workers’ compensation steps in to cover medical bills and other losses associated with the injury. The Arkansas Department of Labor states that an injury is covered by workers’ compensation if it is:
- Accidental,
- Arising out of and in the course of employment,
- Causing internal or external harm to the body,
- Caused by a specific incident, and
- Identifiable by time and place of occurrence.
Some exceptions to the final requirement exist. Repetitive stress injuries, hearing loss, and gradual onset back injuries, for instance, may be covered by workers’ compensation.
Employees covered by workers’ compensation receive coverage from day one of their jobs. To receive benefits, an employee must notify their employer about the injury as soon as possible. Once an employer knows about the injury, the employer can contact their workers’ compensation insurer to start the benefits process.
Workers’ compensation benefits are available on a “no-fault” basis. This means that you don’t have to prove your employer did anything wrong to receive care. However, if your injuries were caused by someone other than your employer, you may have to prove that party did something wrong to seek compensation from them. This is known as a third-party claim.
Examples of third-party claims that might involve explosion or fire injuries at work include:
- A manufacturer makes a tool with a hidden defect. The hidden defect causes the tool to catch fire or explode, injuring you.
- The supplier of materials used in manufacturing fails to warn users that the materials are explosive under certain conditions. Not knowing the risk, your workplace stores the materials so they explode, causing injuries.
- A delivery driver negligently backs into a power pole in your loading dock, causing a fire or electrical explosion.
Other situations can also occur. If a third party may be responsible for your injuries, it’s important to work with an experienced Arkansas fire and explosion injury lawyer. Your attorney can protect your right to workers’ compensation while also seeking compensation for losses that aren’t covered by workers’ compensation.