Workplace equipment is supposed to help you do your job more efficiently and safely. But when equipment breaks, isn’t maintained, or was never working properly in the first place, people can get injured. If you’ve been injured on the job due to faulty tools, broken machines, or protective gear that failed, it’s important to understand your options and your rights under California workers’ compensation and personal injury law.
Common Types of Unsafe or Dangerous Work Equipment
Broken or malfunctioning work tools can cause significant harm in nearly every field. Injuries aren’t limited just to factories or construction sites – they can happen in offices, hospitals, warehouses, and other locations too. Here’s a closer look at where equipment hazards often show up:
Heavy Machinery and Industrial Equipment
Manufacturing, farming, and other industries rely on press machines, conveyors, industrial mixers, or heavy moving belts. When these are not maintained or lack safety cutoffs, an accident can have instant, severe results.
Construction Tools and Power Equipment
Drills, saws, grinders, and other job-site tools must work safely at every use. A stuck trigger, unprotected blade, or an electrical short can turn what should be routine work into an emergency trip to the ER.
Failing Safety Gear: Harnesses, Guards, PPE
Workers rely on harnesses, respirators, machine shields, gloves, or eye protection to stay safe. If this hardware doesn’t function as designed or wears out and it goes unnoticed, workers can be exposed to serious harm.
Forklifts, Pallet Jacks, and Warehouse Equipment
Accidents involving forklifts and other machines often mean crushed limbs, back injuries, or falls when response time is judged wrong or the machine isn’t working as it should.
If you’ve been injured because of unsafe work equipment, you have rights under the law and may be able to obtain compensation.
Workers’ Compensation Coverage for Equipment-Related Injuries
California’s workers’ compensation system is designed to cover most work-related injuries, including those caused by faulty or unsafe equipment, regardless of who was at fault. If the injury “arose out of and occurred in the course of employment,” meaning you were injured while doing your job, you’re typically eligible for benefits.
You don’t have to show that your employer broke a rule or ignored a risk – just that you got hurt while doing tasks related to your work. Some of the benefits you could be entitled to include:
Medical Care and Treatment
You have the right to receive all necessary medical care related to your injury, including doctor visits, hospital bills, therapy, surgery, medication, and long-term care if needed.
Temporary Disability Payments
If you can’t work at all during your recovery, you should be able to collect a percentage of your lost wages to help you take care of your financial concerns while you heal.
Permanent Disability Benefits
For injuries that create lasting problems or ones that you won’t ever recover from enough to return to work, you may be eligible for permanent disability payments. These depend on how serious the injury is and how it affects your ability to work.
Supplemental Job Displacement Vouchers
If your job injury leaves you unable to return to your pre-injury work, you could qualify for vouchers that help pay for retraining or new skills development.
Death Benefits for Families
In tragic cases where equipment-related injuries are fatal, California workers’ comp provides death benefits to your legal dependents, helping to support loved ones left behind.
When Unsafe Equipment May Involve More Than Workers’ Comp
A workplace accident caused by dangerous or defective equipment may open the door to more than just a standard workers’ compensation claim. Depending on how the equipment failed and who was responsible, you might also have legal rights to seek recovery from other sources outside your employer’s policy.
Third-Party Liability Beyond Workers’ Comp
Sometimes injury claims aren’t limited to just you and your employer. If a company or person other than your employer contributed to your accident – for example, by servicing or renting faulty equipment – they can potentially be held responsible through a third-party liability claim.
Defective Product Claims Against Manufacturers or Vendors
If the cause of your injuries was a flawed design or a manufacturing mistake, you might have the basis for a products liability lawsuit. This can let you recover full damages, including pain and suffering, directly from companies that make or sell defective devices or machines.
Maintenance Contractors
In some workplaces, routine upkeep is left to outside vendors. If bad repairs, overlooked hazards, or skipped inspections by an independent contractor led to your injury, they could share legal fault and potential financial liability for your losses.
Combining Workers’ Comp and Personal Injury Cases
California law typically blocks lawsuits against your own employer, but you’re not barred from pursuing personal injury claims alongside your workers’ comp case if a third party’s negligence caused your harm.
To be successful in a claim against a third-party or a product manufacturer, you can’t rely on workers’ compensation’s “no fault” system. You may have to show that someone else was actually negligent. This usually means proving the company or person had a duty to make or maintain safe equipment, and instead failed in some way, directly causing your injury. In some cases, strict liability may apply.
When to Talk to a California Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
In some situations, you can handle a workers’ compensation claim on your own, but it’s usually a good idea to at least schedule a free consultation with a lawyer, especially since these consultations are generally free. If your claim is delayed or denied, or you think you have a case against someone in addition to filing a workers’ compensation claim, it’s helpful to speak with a legal professional right away to handle these complex cases.
If you’ve been injured because of poorly maintained, wrongly designed, or badly repaired work equipment, don’t automatically assume that workers’ comp is your only path to recovery. Reach out to our team today to schedule a free consultation and learn more about your options.