For obvious reasons, some workplace environments are more dangerous than others. A construction site or industrial warehouse, for example, creates greater hazards than the average office. By understanding the true risks of your job, you can make yourself and everyone around you a little safer.

U.S. federal safety regulators recently proposed changes to safety reporting rules that would require electronic injury filing to make these reports immediately available to the public. This rule is specifically geared toward larger companies to motivate them to better comply with safety regulations.

Are these regulations really necessary?

Public access to government data promotes transparency with the general public. Greater accessibility to these records means that more people know the potential hazards, allowing them to take the proper precautions when on the jobsite. The ultimate goal, after all, is to reduce or eliminate workplace injuries.

The state of Arizona is particularly focused on promoting injury prevention initiatives because the injury statistics here exceed the national average. That’s why, in September 2000, the Arizona Department of Health Services sought to enter a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and create surveillance and control processes to prevent injury.

Unfortunately, workplace injuries happen all the time, and they’re not always preventable. Although you should make sure to use the resources available to you to make your job as safe as possible, you also need to know your rights in case you get injured — especially when it comes to workers’ compensation and how to pay for medical costs and make up for lost wages.

To learn more about your options, meet with a skilled workers’ compensation lawyer when a workplace injury happens to you or someone close to you.