A Lawyer's Guide to Workplace Burn Injuries in North Carolina
North Carolina Work Injury Lawyer Explains Work Injury Burn Claims
Workplace burn injuries and fire injuries can have devastating consequences, involving serious pain, disfigurement, and missed work. While burn injuries are usually workplace accidents, victims are still entitled to appropriate compensation and support for their pain and suffering.
Every year nearly half a million people go to the emergency department for burn injuries. As North Carolina burn injury lawyers, we have a comprehensive understanding of the ins and outs of these workplace accidents. To support victims and their loved ones, our Raleigh work injury lawyers prepared this guide to workplace fire and burn injuries.
Types of Workplace Burn Injuries in North Carolina
Burn injuries cause damage to body tissue and can range from mild, self-treatable burns to life-threatening injuries. Fire isn’t the only cause of burn injuries, though, and as burn injury lawyers, we work on burn injury lawsuits from all causes, including workplace accidents and employer negligence .
Chemical Burns
Chemical burns are caused by corrosive substances and hazardous chemicals, which are commonly found in many different types of jobs. Examples of hazardous substances include bleach, battery acid, detergents, fertilizers, pesticides, and even wet cement. Workplace chemical burns often happen because of accidental spills but can also occur due to poor workplace safety practices.
Workplace chemical burns can affect the skin, eyes, and internal organs, depending on how the burn injury occurred. These burns can cause severe damage, eating away at the body tissue for a period of time past when the chemical makes contact with the skin or other body part. Chemical burn recovery can be extensive and traumatic.
Thermal Burns
Thermal burns are those injuries that result from contact with hot objects, including fire. Workplace thermal burns go beyond fire injuries, though, including burns from hot metals, scalding liquids, and steam. According to the Burn and Reconstructive Centers of America, 85% of all burns are thermal burns.
Workplace accidents can result in thermal burns when an employee comes into contact with a boiling liquid, resulting in a scalding, or when an employee touches the hot metal of a piece of an equipment.
Radiation Burns
Sunburns are the most common form of radiation burn, but radiation burns can also result from overexposure to ultraviolet light, x-rays, and other forms of radiation. Radiation burns can take the form of cutaneous radiation injury (CRI), which occurs when a person is exposed to radioactive materials.
Radiation burns can occur at workplaces that utilize radioactive materials, like nuclear power plants. In these workplace radiation emergencies, affected employees may experience both thermal burns and radiation exposure, leading to a combined injury with acute radiation syndrome (ARS).
Electrical Burns
Electrical burns occur when an individual comes in contact with live electricity, with electrical burns appearing at the areas where the current enters and exits the body. Electrical burns have the unique potential to occur inside the body, which may not be initially apparent. These incidents can also impact the internal organs like the heart, kidneys, and brain, requiring immediate and thorough medical treatment.
According to the NIH National Library of Medicine, there are four main types of electrical burn injuries:
Flash: Superficial burns caused by an arc flash, with no electrical current going past the skin
Flame: Burns occur from clothing that is lit on fire from an arc flash
Lightning: High-voltage electricity travels through an individual’s entire body for a brief period of time
True: Individuals become a part of an electrical circuit, with both an entry and exit site apparent on the body
Electrical burns can be classified as high-voltage or low-voltage, with both types able to cause severe injury depending on length of exposure and other factors. Most electrical burn injuries occur at the workplace, due to specialized jobs putting workers in contact with power lines and other dangerous electrical sources.
Workplace Fire Injuries in North Carolina
When thinking about work-related burn injuries, you likely think of workplace fires. Workplace fire hazards include faulty equipment, combustible materials, improper electrical wiring, obstructions and clutter, and cooking.
While some industries are more likely to see fires in the workplace, any workplace can see a fire occur. In 2020, FEMA reported 16,500 office and store fires across the country. Employers are responsible for enacting fire prevention and safety plans for their workplace.
Industrial Plant Explosions
Industrial plant explosions can lead to catastrophic injuries and even deaths, often due to severe burn injuries and other casualties. Plant and refinery explosions are most well known for occuring at chemical plants, but they can also occur at plants that operate in the manufacturing, mining, food, and energy industries.
Employers are legally responsible for creating a safe work environment, even in the industrial plants and refineries that have a higher likelihood of an event. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) outlines the key rights workers have, including the right to refuse to work in a hazardous situation and the right to the proper safety equipment. When an industrial plant explosion does occur, a workplace accident attorney can help victims and their loved ones get the compensation and support they deserve for employer negligence.
Classifying Workplace Burn Injury Severity
Burn injuries are classified by how deeply the burn penetrates the skin, organized into different degrees of severity.
First-Degree Burns
First-degree burns are the least severe type of burns. They affect the top layer of the skin, turning it red and causing discomfort but not leaving any long-term injury. Sunburns are typically first-degree burns.
Second-Degree Burns
Second-degree burn injuries, also called partial thickness burns, affect the upper and lower layers of the skin (the epidermis and the dermis). Second-degree burns are considered common and fairly mild, although they may be painful and feature blistering, shiny or splotchy skin, and swelling. Second-degree burns can be treated at home.
Third-Degree Burns
Third-degree burn injuries, also known as full thickness burns, destroy the epidermis and dermis and can extend into the fat beneath the skin. With third-degree burns, nerve endings can be destroyed, so pain may come from the areas surrounding the burn rather than the burn itself. Third-degree burn injuries typically required a skin graft or other medical procedure to heal.
Fourth-Degree Burns
Fourth-degree burns, which are also a type of full thickness burn, are serious medical emergencies. All layers of skin are destroyed when a fourth-degree burn injury occurs, with damage extending through muscle, bone, and other organs.
Complications of Workplace Burn Injuries in North Carolina
As burn injury lawyers, we’ve seen the way that fire and burn injuries can completely upend a victim’s life—complications from burn injuries go well beyond the affected area of the body.
Besides the physical injury, burns can lead to the following complications:
Shock, in the immediate aftermath of the burn
Scarring and disfigurement, which can dramatically affect the victim’s quality of life
Psychological trauma, affecting the emotional and mental well-being of the victim, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Infections, potentially leading to life-threatening sepsis
Amputations, removing the most damaged areas of the body
Permanent disabilities, as a result of damage to the nerves, muscles, and other organs
Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), with two or more organ systems going into failure from severe burn injuries, often leading to death
After a workplace burn injury, victims may need extensive time to recover and rehabilitate, meaning they are unable to return to work. An experienced burn injury lawyer will pursue the appropriate workers’ compensation and other legal cases to ensure you get the support and compensation you deserve.
6 North Carolina Industries Where Workplace Burn Injuries Commonly Occur
Occupational burns can occur in any job function, but there are certain industries with a much higher likelihood of this type of workplace accident.
1. Construction
The construction industry incorporates a variety of trades and their related equipment and materials, many of which pose a potential risk for fire and burns. For example, plumbers may work around hot metal and scalding water, while other contractors may lay the hot tar for foundations and or kick up sparks from welding.
2. Industrial Plants
Industrial plants are factories and facilities that produce or refine specialized products, and many of these processes can lead to explosions, fires, and burn injuries. Fires can start because of flammable chemicals and liquids but also because of combustible dust in the air, hot equipment, and electrical hazards. Because of the high number of dangerous materials and equipment in some of these plants, the injuries and outcome can be catastrophic.
Industrial plants can include the following types:
Chemical plants
Plastic and polymer plants
Fertilizer plants
Manufacturing plants
Mills
Metal processing plants
3. Food Service and Hospitality
In the hospitality and food service industries, employees interact with common appliances and tasks that can cause fires and burns, like kitchen fires in restaurants. Many of the burn injuries that occur for food service industry workers do not come directly from fire, though, with one CDC report indicating that 42% of burns were from contact from hot grease. In the hospitality industry, workers utilize equipment including irons and steamers that can lead to painful burns.
4. Energy
The energy industry deals with just that—high levels of energy and powerful equipment that can lead to fires and burns. The oil and gas industry and its refineries, in particular, see workplace accidents at oil fields, offshore drilling rigs, and power plants. While exploring severe workplace injuries in the oil and gas industry, the CDC reported, “Although OGE workers represent a small proportion of the U.S. workforce, these workers are consistently overrepresented in reports of work-related injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.”
5. Transportation
The transportation industry is often overlooked as a place where workers may sustain fire and burn injuries. In the trucking industry, mechanics and truck operators may come into contact with hot machinery as part of maintenance. Additionally, when a commercial truck accident occurs, there’s a chance of fire due to the large fuel tank.
6. Electrical
From power line workers to household electricians, electrical workers are at a high risk of electrical burns, which is exacerbated by negligent employers and poor safety practices. The extreme amount of electricity that these workers must interact with puts them at risk for not just electrical burns but for potentially fatal electrocution injuries.
What to Do After a Burn Injury at Work in North Carolina
When a workplace burn injury occurs, the next steps you take are crucial. Review the following steps to keep in mind in case of this type of workplace accident—your burn injury attorney will thank you later.
Seek medication attention. Depending on the severity of the accident, this should be the first step. Call 911 if appropriate.
Alert your supervisor. The incident should be documented properly.
Take photos of the incident and your injuries. Be sure to backup the photos.
Take notes. Write a detailed summary of what occurred as soon as you are able to. Put together a list of witnesses and involved parties.
Contact a qualified workplace burn injury lawyer. North Carolina law firms like Counsel Carolina will offer a free consultation on your case.
Follow up with medical appointments. Continue to prioritize your recovery.
Once you hire a workplace accident attorney, they will guide you through the next steps when it comes to filing a workers’ compensation claim or other appropriate legal action.
Workplace Fire Safety and Employer Negligence in North Carolina
When it comes to workplace fire safety, OSHA outlines the appropriate actions that employers must take to prevent workplace fires and manage emergencies, as defined by the Code of Federal Regulations. Additionally, fire safety is regulated on the state level and city level, like in Raleigh, North Carolina, and its Office of the Fire Marshal.
Workers have rights to a safe environment, and employers must provide the relevant planning and training to handle a fire or burn injury incident. Employer negligence occurs when employers fail to provide a safe workplace, also known as duty of care. When workplace negligence occurs, victims may have the right to settlements beyond their workers’ compensation claims, and a workplace accident attorney can help complete that process.
Workplace burn injuries can incur a range of damages, including:
Medical bills
Future medical expenses
Lost wages
Pain and suffering
Loss of consortium
Permanent disability
Scarring and disfigurement
Punitive damages
Hazard Communication
One aspect of burn safety in the workplace is following the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to ensure chemical safety in the workplace, thus limiting the potential for chemical burn injuries.
OSHA explains, “All employers with hazardous chemicals in their workplaces must have labels and safety data sheets for their exposed workers, and train them to handle the chemicals appropriately.”
Emergency Action Plan
Another key element for mitigating the effects of a workplace fire or burn injury is having an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) in place. Emergency Action Plans can apply to evacuations, fires, and other major events. OSHA explains, “The purpose of an EAP is to facilitate and organize employer and employee actions during workplace emergencies.”
Finding The Best Burn Injury Lawyer in North Carolina
As burn injury lawyers in Raleigh, North Carolina, we see firsthand the effects of workplace fire and burn injuries. When these devastating incidents occur, victims and their loved ones deserve to focus on recovery while we fight for you to get what you deserve.
At Counsel Carolina, our workplace accident attorneys are on your side from day one. We will investigate the fire or accident thoroughly, evaluate your options with you, make a claim if appropriate, and guide you through the process. We serve victims in North Carolina and South Carolina.
To schedule a free consultation, contact our burn injury lawyers today.
Schedule a Free Case Evaluation With Our Raleigh Workplace Burn Injury Lawyers
Burn injuries are one of the most common workplace injuries in North Carolina. If it happens to you, do not assume that your employer is going to treat you fairly or will compensate you for the full extent of such a difficult, permanent injury. Our burn injury lawyers can help.
If you were injured at work by fire or suffered a burn injury, contact our experienced work injury lawyers in Raleigh, North Carolina for a free consultation. We can help you and your family recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and conscious pain and suffering.