The state of Ohio is one of the top in the country for agribusiness, which is defined as the growing, processing, transporting and selling of food. As would be expected, this also makes agribusiness one of the largest employers in the state, with one in every six Ohioans employed by any one of the numerous food manufacturers or processors.
While the booming industry may be great for both the state and national economies, it has not proven so great for those workers when it comes to workplace injuries. For perspective, consider this statistic. All other private industries in Ohio report an overall incidence rate of 2.9 per 100 full-time employees. That includes every private industry other than agribusiness. In contrast, the food manufacturing industry, or agribusiness, reports an incidence rate of 3.9 per 100 full-time workers. This means that food manufacturing carries a 33% higher rate of injury than the other private industries combined. Days out of work, restricted duties, or job transfers due to illness or injury were also recorded at a 60% higher rate than private industry jobs.
Of the illnesses reported, 75 percent were from hearing loss as the result of a noisy work environment. Hearing loss is a common occurrence among workers in facilities that do not include and enforce hearing protection guidelines in their company health and wellness programs. It can, and has led to many workers’ compensation claims filed by Ohio workers.
Any worker who has suffered an injury at the workplace, or as a result of work environment will likely have a valid workers’ compensation claim. However, such claims are not always easy to resolve. An experienced attorney can assist in navigating any issues that may arise with your claim, and help you get the compensation you both need and deserve.
