For Georgia residents who work in an office building, the workplace may not seem like a dangerous place. For other employees, however, every workday is filled with dangers or conditions that could result in a work-related injury or other problems relating to workplace safety.

A recent situation involving a leak in the refrigeration system at FPL Food in August resulted an evacuation of all employees. The evacuation was characterized as a "precautionary measure" because reports indicate that the leak was small and any employees subsequently taken to the hospital were taken only for evaluation. The leak was discovered when emergency sensors detected the leak and sounded an alarm. Over the past five years, OSHA records indicate that the plant was regularly inspected and paid fines of over $8,000 for four violations of safety regulations in 2008 and one violation in 2009.

Although workplace accidents and injuries can occur anywhere, the laws concerning workplace safety and worker's compensation are especially important for those Georgia employees working in high-risk jobs. Even when an injury or incident is minor, if it results in lost time on the job or medical bills, it can cause financial hardship for employees and their families. With the help of an experienced worker's compensation attorney, employees can understand their rights and effectively file for compensation.

In Georgia, employees injured at work can get compensation from employers to cover a variety of things, including medical costs, pharmaceutical expenses, and temporary total disability. Unfortunately, compensation for pain and suffering are not available under Georgia law, so it is important for employees to work with an attorney to get the most compensation possible from the other sources.

Source: OnlineAthens.com, "Ammonia leak at Augusta plant prompts evacuation," Bianca Cain Johnson and Rob Pavey, Feb. 14, 2013