A study conducted in 2015 suggests that a majority of employees may face unfavorable conditions while on the job in Pennsylvania and other states across the nation. Researchers who were involved in the effort expressed hope that their work will ultimately lead to a constructive debate on the improvement of such working conditions.
A joint endeavor of researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, Harvard Medical School and RAND Corp., the study drew on data from the American Working Conditions Survey. In this survey, 67 percent of the 3,066 workers who participated indicated that they were employed at the time of their response. Nearly 55 percent of the study participants described their working conditions as potentially dangerous.
Additional findings support the workers’ claims. According to the research team, 66 percent of the respondents said that they work under tight deadlines or at a fast pace, and 25 percent indicated that they did not have enough time to complete assigned tasks. A number of respondents noted a lack of employee control over work schedules and work hours spent performing repetitive or intense physical tasks as concerns. Researchers characterize the number of workers who say that they are exposed to a hostile or threatening social or hostile environment at work as far too high.
In some situations, a workplace injury may lead to an unanticipated financial loss. Employees who have been harmed by hazardous on-the-job conditions may find it beneficial to discuss their situations with an attorney who has workers’ compensation experience and who can assist with the preparation and filing of a claim for benefits.