Across the country, farming is an important industry to families that rely on it for income, as well as to all of us who consume the products. However, farming can be dangerous, routinely resulting in serious injuries to workers. In fact, the fatal injury rate throughout the agricultural industry is 7.5 times higher than any other industry, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
With farming being one of the most dangerous industries in the United States, injuries to workers result in steep medical bills, loss of income, physical impairment, and even death. Although farming itself is inherently hazardous, many injuries occur due to negligence by farm owners and operators, or as a result of machine defects and malfunctions. Though not all injuries sustained by farmers can be prevented, proper safety standards, maintenance, and product design regarding machinery help to keep the injury rate low.
Advances in technology and an increased focus on safety in the agricultural industry help prevent injuries, but farmers are still at risk of being involved in serious accidents, such as equipment malfunctions and defects, falls, chemical exposures, and tractors/farming vehicle collisions. At Spiros Law, P.C., our attorneys have experience in handling these types of farming accidents that have resulted in injuries to workers.
Although many Americans are unemployed due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, farmworkers are labeled as essential employees during this time. Farming services are critical to maintaining the country’s food supplies, but these workers and their communities are vulnerable to the impacts of the coronavirus. However, under the new Illinois emergency rule in response to the pandemic, frontline workers, including farmers, are able to bring a workers’ compensation claim if they have contracted the coronavirus during the course of their employment.
Farming laborers are at a greater risk of sustaining an injury in the workplace, and our attorneys are ready to seek justice if you or a loved one were injured in a farming accident caused by the negligence of another party. Additionally, our attorneys are available to handle workers’ compensation claims made by farmworkers who have been injured on the job or contracted COVID-19 and have suffered. Though our physical offices are currently closed in order to comply with the extended shelter-in-place, our staff is available to speak with any current or potential clients over the phone, through our online chat services, and on email. Contact us today at (815) 929-9292.
