CASINO WORKER INJURIES

Casinos are an important part of the Atlantic City economy.  They require thousands of employees working in various capacities.  Working in a casino can be a positive experience but, unfortunately, there is a downside.  Casinos are a playground for adults to release their inhibitions and the resulting chaos can often put the employees in harm’s way and injuries occur.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has safety guidelines for casinos and hotels attached to casinos but sometimes these safety guidelines are not enough to combat the many risks associated with gambling establishments.

Following are some of the common causes of employee injuries in the casino setting:

• Repetitive motion injuries. This can cause carpal tunnel syndrome for clerical workers and dealers can suffer from muscle and tendon damage resulting from doing the same actions day in and day out.  The repetitive motion can put excess strain on the muscles.
• With a combination of free booze, competitiveness and large crowds, casinos are ripe for violent behavior.  Employees must face the danger of assault on a daily basis.
• Slip and fall accidents. This is the most common type of accident leading to injury.  These accidents can be caused by wet floors, ripped carpet, broken stairs or escalators.
• Defective casino equipment can cause injuries.
• Employees working security or acting as valets may be struck by a car or other vehicle in a casino parking lot.
• Food poisoning. With the amount of food that casinos have to provide, there is always the risk of undercooked dishes.  Employees can run the risk that food is left out too long or handled by other employees with unclean hands which can cause food poisoning.
• Dangerous swimming pool areas can cause injury if proper safety measures are not taken by the casino.

Every casino owner has a responsibility to visitors as well as their employees to maintain the casino in a safe condition.  Unfortunately, too often casinos do not take the appropriate measures to maintain a safe environment and injuries occur.

Feel free to call my office to discuss your legal rights if you have been injured at work as a casino employee.  We can help.