After the recent spat of storms that have swept through the Eastern Seaboard of the United States and into Connecticut there are quite a few workplaces that have been submerged under water. While this water has receded in most parts of the state this is going to be a continuing concern with more and more powerful storms dumping significant water totals on our area.
If you’ve arrived at your place of work to discover that the area has been flooded and feel that it is not safe for you to work there you should speak with your supervisor. Your workplace may try to make accommodations for you as the clean up continues, but there may not be anything that can be done. If you are required to work in this type of environment and then start to develop any sort of injury related to the flooded out workplace you may file a Connecticut workers’ compensation claim.
You may not realize an imminent threat from the flood waters that have exposed your workplace to a new safety concern, but there are issues that arise, even if the water has receded that could be a concern to your physical health. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information there are some really serious physical health concerns that may arise from flooding which include:
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An increase in diarrhea including cholera and dysentery
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Certain diseases born by insects
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Leptospirosis
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Respiratory infections
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Hepatitis A and E
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Typhoid Fever
As flooding continues across the state with the increased strength of storms over the area, these types of injuries will become more and more common and lead to more incidents of flood related Connecticut workers’ compensation claims. The safest thing to do if you are presented with a flooded out workplace is to stay home until the water has receded and the clean up has finished. If your employer will not allow that you may still want to take a leave from your job to keep yourself and your family safe and healthy.
When you are faced with injuries that are related to workplace flooding you can still file a claim, but you may want a board certified attorney to review your case. Contact our office and we will work with you to navigate this challenging type of claim.
