When you think of a work injury, you likely think about accidents while working that hurt you physically. You may think about breaking your arm or falling and injuring your back. While these are great examples of work-related injuries in California, they are not the only type of injury that exist. Sometimes, a work injury may not be so obvious. It may be something that takes a toll on your body over time. A good example is stress, and stress can be deadly. In fact, it could be one work injury that you die from off the clock.
Common Dreams explains that stress has a long-term effect on your body that could result in your death. It may not even happen when you are at work since the stress from work comes home with you. The reality is that long-term injuries, such as stress, cause the most work-related fatalities.
Stress is an invisible danger. Your boss may not recognize it is affecting you. You may not recognize that it is affecting you. However, it can work away in your mind and body. Plus, it is very difficult to prevent. Everyone reacts differently. You could suffer stress from a busy work schedule where someone else might thrive with that same schedule.
While the general workplace is much safer than it has ever been and protects you well from physical injuries, it does nothing to protect you from invisible injuries. This is an area where there needs to be quite a bit more research to find a way to protect you and other workers. This information is for education and is not legal advice.
