Austin EMS Workers Face Stress, Dangers on the Job

Do you know any Austin EMS workers? Have they talked about the dangers and stress associated with their jobs?

Recently, the Austin Chronicle had an excellent in-depth story about Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services employees, and the stress and dangers they face on the job. The story discussed a young paramedic who killed himself earlier this year, the third worker from ATCEMS to commit suicide over the last two and a half years.

The report, which you can view by clicking the source link below, noted that ATCEMS workers are often asked to work long hours, with some allegedly working 24-hour shifts. In one case, in 2012, a worker allegedly fell asleep on his way home from work and crashed his car after working a daylong ambulance shift.

Because of the high stress levels, some ATCEMS workers have begun to lash out on social media. “People are doing work, day in and day out, at such a high level of stress and activity that it’s like being continuously deployed in Afghanistan,” one person told the Chronicle. “Obviously your friends aren’t getting blown up left and right, but other people are.”

Aside from tremendous fatigue that some ATCEMS workers may face each day, many are injured on the job. The newspaper reported that an audit found that during a two-year period prior to 2013, EMS workers were injured 278 times on-the-job, resulting in “more than 4,234 days (and $1.6 million) lost to rehab.”

EMS workers can be placed in dangerous situations, where violence may erupt or safety hazards present serious threats. Additionally, many of these workers do heavy lifting and physical activities that can lead to personal injuries. Unfortunately, these repetitive motions can cause strain in the upper and lower back, neck, shoulders, arms, legs, feet and hands.

Why Should an Injured EMS Worker Speak to an Attorney?

It is incredibly sad that EMS workers are facing so much stress on the job, in addition to facing workplace injuries. If an EMS worker is injured on the job, it may be in his or her best interest to speak to an attorney about his or her legal rights, including the right to pursue workers’ compensation or file an injury lawsuit.

If you have been injured on the job, make sure that your employer is held liable. Texas has an unusual workers’ compensation system, in which employers may elect not to have coverage. You will want to make sure that you obtain legal guidance so that you can receive payments for lost income and medical treatment if you suffer an injury at work.

You can speak to our Austin workplace accident attorneys by clicking on the live chat link above. We are dedicated to making sure that employees who are placed in danger are compensated when they are injured.

The Law Offices of Aaron Allison – Austin Personal Injury Attorney

Source: http://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2015-05-08/high-stress-at-ems/