Holiday Retail Work Injuries

During the holiday season and through January of the New Year, retail stores often hire additional part-time and full-time workers to meet the busy demands of holiday shopping and post-holiday returns into the New Year. With an increase in workers, coupled with a busier time for businesses across different industries, retail workers often work harder and agree to longer hours to make sure the business keeps up. Chain and big-box stores, as well as retail stores in malls and small businesses across Maryland, often expect to make a significant amount of money during the holidays while also accounting for returns and exchanges in January. As a result, retail workers often have to hustle, and they can be at increased risk of injury.

What do you need to know about holiday retail work injuries in Maryland? Consider the following information from an experienced Maryland workers’ compensation lawyer at the Law Offices of Steinhardt, Siskind and Lieberman, LLC.

Retail Work is Dangerous, and More Dangerous During the Holidays 

Retail work simply gets more dangerous during the holiday season, according to research. The Board of Certified Safety Professionals reports that nearly 800,000 seasonal workers are hired to work during the holiday season alone, and large retailers like Amazon and Target are often expected to hire more seasonal holiday workers than others. With increased workers trying to address increased demand, especially in dangerous Amazon warehouses, injury risks rise.

In addition, the holidays bring fatigue, which can make a workplace injury more likely. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), retail work — during the holidays especially — tends to involve “irregular and long shifts, long periods of standing,” and understaffing given the retail needs, which can “lead to fatigue and stress.” That work fatigue, combined with the personal and familial stressors of the holidays, can make an employee more likely to have decreased cognitive ability, which can make certain retail work tasks more dangerous.

Temporary, Part-Time, and Seasonal Workers Are Eligible for Workers’ Compensation 

Many temporary, part-time, or seasonal workers who get hurt on the job during the holiday season worry that they are ineligible for compensation through workers’ compensation since they were only brought on to cover increased demand from Thanksgiving through the New Year. It is critical to understand that the Maryland workers’ compensation system applies equally to full-time workers, part-time workers, temporary workers, and seasonal workers as long as they meet other eligibility requirements.

To be eligible, workers must be classified as employees of the retail store (as opposed to independent contractors), and their injury must arise out of and occur in the course of employment.

Contact Our Maryland Workers’ Compensation Lawyers 

Were you injured while working a retail job? There are many different causes of retail work injuries in Maryland, and fortunately, the workers’ compensation system is a no-fault system through which you can obtain benefits even if your own fatigue or burnout led to a negligent act or omission on your part that contributed to the injury. Do not hesitate to reach out to one of the experienced Maryland workers’ compensation attorneys at the Law Offices of Steinhardt, Siskind and Lieberman, LLC today. Contact us to find out more about how we can help and to get started on your workers’ compensation claim.

Sources:

bcsp.org/about/bcsp-news/holiday-employment-rate-may-lead-to-increased-hazards/

blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2023/12/01/holiday-retail-2023/