The auto parts industry in Alabama puts 26,000 people to work. While this benefits the economy, the cost to some workers has been cruel. Too often, safety violations in these plants result in devastating injuries. Workers have been crushed, burned and entrapped by machines, dismembered by machines and burned by falling into acid.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in 2010, the Alabama auto parts industry’s rate of illness and injury was 50 percent higher than that of the U.S. auto parts industry. The state’s rate of injury is no longer this high, but it remains above the national rate. As recently as 2015, an Alabama auto parts worker had double the risk of amputation of a finger or limb than for auto parts workers nationwide.
The physical and financial effect on workers is severe
There are numerous types of injuries workers in manufacturing plants can suffer, but a few of the most common in the auto parts industry are:
- Broken and crushed bones
- Amputations of fingers and limbs
- Burns
Any of these injuries can leave a worker with temporary or permanent disability. In some cases, the injuries are fatal. Workers and their families may not be able to survive on workers’ compensation benefits or a lower salary if an injured worker cannot return to the same job.
When manufacturers and corporations are negligent, injured workers can hold them accountable for their physical, emotional and financial losses. Learn more today if you or a family member has suffered an injury in auto parts manufacturing or any industrial job.
