What To Know About Retail Sales Employee Injuries

Whether you are working a retail job during the holiday season, over the busy summer in South Florida, or at any other time of the year, it is important to know that retail sales employees can be at risk for many different kinds of on-the-job injuries. Although retail workers may not be as obviously at risk of various job hazards as workers in the construction industry or the trucking industry, for example, they are nonetheless exposed to many hazards in the workplace while working for low pay. Indeed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), retail workers who are under the age of 25 are “more likely than more experienced workers to be injured,” and they are more likely to sustain workplace injuries than employees in various other kinds of professions.

What do you need to know about retail sales employee injuries? The experienced Sunrise workers’ compensation attorneys at our firm can provide you with more information about retail jobs and the kinds of injuries that routinely affect employees on the job.

Retail Work Occurs in Many Types of Businesses 

One of the reasons that retail work poses a wide range of hazards is that it occurs in many different kinds of businesses. The CDC explains that retail work occurs in all of the following types of businesses and more:

• Food and grocery stores;
• Building material and supply stores;
• Department stores;
• Furniture stores;
• Home good stores;
• Motor vehicle parts stores;
• Gardening supplies stores;
• Pet supplies stores;
• Sporting goods stores;
• Craft stores;
• Book stores;
• Music stores;
• Superstores; and
• Warehouse club stores.

How Do Injuries Happen in Retail Work?

At different types of businesses, retail workers can suffer injuries in different ways. The CDC and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) suggest that retail sales employees sustain injuries for many reasons, such as the following:

• Lack of sufficient safety training;
• Slipping or tripping hazards in the workplace;
• Heavy lifting requirements;
• Struck-by injury risks while stocking shelves;
• Cut and laceration injury risks while handling money at the cash register;
• Exposure to hazardous materials in unpacking stock and cleaning the store; and
• Violence-related injuries when businesses experience theft or robbery.

What to Do After a Retail Work Injury 

After you have been injured on the job while working retail at a South Florida business, it is critical to report the injury to your employer as quickly as possible (within 30 days at a maximum), and to seek treatment from an approved health care provider. These are requirements for workers’ compensation benefits set forth in the Florida Statutes.

Contact a Workers’ Compensation Attorney in Sunrise 

Injuries can happen in any kind of job, and they are more common than you might think in retail work. If you got hurt while working as a retail sales employee at a business in South Florida, it is important to speak with a Sunrise workers’ compensation lawyer at the Law Offices of David M. Benenfeld, P.A. about filing a workers’ compensation claim. Our firm can assess your case, and we can help you to seek the workers’ compensation benefits you need.

Sources:

cdc.gov/niosh/topics/retail/default.html

bls.gov/ooh/sales/retail-sales-workers.htm

leg.state.fl.us/STATUTeS/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0440/0440ContentsIndex.html