Prioritizing Money Over Health

I’m Katelyn Holub, an attorney focusing on personal injury law in northwest Indiana.

Welcome to Personal Injury Primer, where we break down the law into simple terms, provide legal tips, and discuss personal injury law topics.

We often deal with clients who have been injured as a consequence of a defendant not following health regulations.

One example is a restaurant failing to follow health regulations, which require kitchen cleanliness, as well as maintaining the food supplies at an appropriate temperature in a freezer or refrigerator, or failing to prepare and cook food to the required temperature. The types of illnesses that are often a consequence of failing to follow these types of regulations include food poisoning and associated diseases, some of which can result in serious injury or death.

Another example of an injury that can occur due to a failure to follow health regulations is the acquisition of infections as a result of a hair salon or nail salon not following the required regulations to ensure the cleanliness of combs, brushes, basins, and other utensils used on customers. Infections that can result include viral, bacterial, and fungal infections.

Another example of how people can be injured as a consequence of a business failing to follow health regulations is the manifestation of hospital-acquired infections. This may result in a patient acquiring an MRSA infection, as well as other types of antibiotic-resistant infections. A consequence of some of these infections can be serious injury or death.

A common thread that runs through these types of cases is that the party who has failed to comply with health regulations does so to save money and cut corners.

For example, in some hospital settings during the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals refused to send in cleaning staff to clean a patient’s room or bathroom. The excuse given was that they did not want to expose the workers to the virus. However, failing to clean rooms and bathrooms exposed patients to other infectious agents lurking in the hospital.

There was no valid reason under the law to disregard hospital health regulations. Cleaning crews could have been provided with hazmat-level protection or other necessary protection as required by OSHA. Neglecting patient health is never justifiable.

The health and safety regulations implemented by governments are designed to ensure that people lead healthy lives and avoid infections while engaging in everyday activities.

The reason you can go in and get a haircut safely is that most barbers and beauticians follow the regulations. You can stop at a restaurant and hopefully walk out without becoming ill because most restaurant workers follow the laws. The same is true for most hospitals that follow the regulations.

However, no matter the industry, those who disregard safety rules to save money and increase profits are knowingly putting all of us at risk.

I hope you found this information helpful. If you are a victim of someone’s carelessness, substandard medical care, product defect, work injury, or another personal injury, please call (219) 736-9700 with your questions. You can also learn more about us by visiting our website at DavidHolubLaw.com – while there, make sure you request a copy of our book “Fighting for Truth.”