OFFICE WORKERS CAN ALSO GET WORKERS’ COMPENSATION BENEFITS

Being an office worker probably seems like a pretty safe career choice. After all, offices rarely — if ever — have large, dangerous machinery. And unlike warehouse or construction workers, bosses usually do not ask their office workers to climb ladders. But none of this means that Illinois offices are safe. In fact, office workers can get hurt and need workers’ compensation benefits just like anyone else.

People who work in offices have to safely pass over any number of physical hurdles just to get to their desks in the morning. Cords connecting computers, wi-fi routers, printers and more often crisscross along paths where people walk. It is easy to trip on a cord, fall and suffer a serious injury. One chiropractor who helps treat these injuries reports seeing office workers with rotator cuff tears, wrist fractures, shoulder labrum tears and much more.

Injuries can happen even when a worker is not moving. That is because people who work in offices typically end up sitting in front of computers all day. Human bodies simply were not designed to do this, and sitting down at a computer often forces people to sit in positions with rounded shoulders. Doing so, day after day, can cause a medical condition called Forward Head Posture. Forward Head Posture causes migraines, muscle spasms and painful jaw conditions.

Workplace injuries are not always caused by serious accidents. For many people in Illinois, injuries are the result of things like repetitive motion or even poorly planned cable management. These victims need workers’ compensation benefits just as much as those who were injured in serious workplace accidents.