Did you get hurt on the job this week?  You’re not alone.  Work accidents this week are more common than any other.  In some industries they are up by 5.7% as compared to a normal work week.

Why is that happening? It’s daylight savings time.  Because we sprung the clocks an hour ahead this week, we are all getting less sleep, especially if we are still arriving to work on time. As you get older, it takes your body longer to adjust to this new schedule.  I know I had a harder time waking up the last few days compared to my younger self.

Monday this week is the worst day of the year for work accidents.  Because people are getting on average 40 minutes less sleep their bodies and minds aren’t as sharp as normal. On average there are 3.6 more accidents a day on that Monday compared to other days.

So what are companies in Illinois and elsewhere doing about it in order to protect themselves and their workers? Pretty much nothing.  They could start the work day a half hour later and let workers ease in to the week. They could schedule more risky activities for later in the week.  They could give more breaks throughout the day.  From what I see, most companies aren’t doing anything other than saying good luck.

The obvious answer that I think most people would appreciate is to end daylight savings time for once and all. If we didn’t “fall back” and loss an hour we wouldn’t need to add an hour in the spring. More daylight would be appreciated by most people unless you are someone who is a fan of it being pitch black at 5 p.m.

From our standpoint, we always say that you have to look out for you. If your employer isn’t putting things in place to make you safer this week and every week, then you need to ask for them. If they won’t give them then you need to make decisions that best protect your health.  Maybe you are a hard worker and hardly ever take a break. This is definitely the week to take one.

While you can’t sue your employer if you get hurt and they didn’t make any daylight savings schedule adjustments, you can of course bring a work comp claim. If you have questions about how this works or want to speak with a lawyer for free for any other reason, contact us any time at 888-705-1766.