Millwright workers compensation claims include industrial machinery mechanics who disassemble machinery and equipment and repair or replace broken or malfunctioning components. Millwrights maintain machinery by performing tests and making adjustments to make sure that the machine is running smoothly. Industrial mechanics adjust and calibrate equipment and machinery to optimal specifications.
Millwrights get injured in single, traumatic work accidents, but more often we see work-related low back or lumbar herniated discs from millwright job duties over time. Industrial mechanics typically do physical work when installing or repairing machinery and equipment, often moving in and around machines in awkward positions which over time can result in low back pain or neck injuries. The work-related neck or cervical injuries often result in numbness or tingling down the arms, known as radiculopathy. Traumatic workers comp injuries to millwrights occur when taking apart existing machinery to clear floor space for new machinery or when moving machinery and equipment. Millwrights install, dismantle, repair, reassemble, and move machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites, the uneven surfaces of which contribute to back damage over time.
Industrial machinery mechanics and machinery maintenance workers maintain and repair complex machines, such as an automobile assembly line’s conveyor belts, robotic welding arms, and hydraulic lifts and beer lines. In addition to handtools, mechanics commonly use lathes, grinders, or drill presses. Many also are required to weld. All maintenance workers use a variety of tools to do repairs and preventive maintenance. For example, they may use a screwdriver or socket wrenches to adjust a motor’s alignment, or they might use a hoist to lift a heavy printing press off the ground. Millwrights use a variety of hand tools, such as hammers and levels, as well as equipment for welding, brazing, and cutting. They also use measuring tools, such as micrometers, measuring tapes, lasers, and other precision-measuring devices. On large projects, they commonly use cranes and trucks. When millwrights and managers determine the best place for a machine, millwrights bring the parts to the desired location using forklifts, hoists, winches, cranes, and other equipment.
Millwrights, industrial machinery mechanics and maintenance workers suffer common injuries, such as cuts, bruises, and strains. They also work in awkward positions, including on top of ladders or in cramped conditions under large machinery. Millwrights, industrial machinery mechanics and maintenance workers experience rates of injuries and illnesses that are much higher than the national average, often resulting in lumbar herniated discs or cervical herniated discs necessitating neck or back surgery.
In the Milwaukee area millwrights are members of several unions, including the UBC Millwright Local 2337. McCormick Law Office in Milwaukee supports millwrights, industrial mechanics and maintenance workers in on the job injury legal representation.
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