If you are working in the maritime industry, an injury or ailment may not develop right away. Sometimes, an issue like a sleep disorder can develop over time due to your work, and that can make your life much more difficult. If this sounds like something that happened to you, our Everett merchant mariner lawyers want to hear from you. You could be owed compensation and we can help you pursue it.
What Kind of Sleep Disorder Can Affect a Maritime Worker?
Working in the maritime industry can be tough, and part of the reason for that is that work can easily interfere with your regular circadian rhythms. Humans generally want to sleep at night and be active during the day, but maritime workers can end up keeping odd hours. Some sleeping disorders that often affect workers include:
Narcolepsy: Someone with this issue can fall asleep without warning.
Insomnia: Someone with this sleeping disorder struggles to fall asleep or stay asleep. This means that they’ll likely be sleepy the next day.
Sleep apnea: Some people snore, but when the snoring reaches another level and someone struggles to breathe in their sleep, that’s sleep apnea.
How Can a Sleep Disorder Be Dangerous?
When you’re not getting the sleep you need, you are not operating at 100%. This can be a problem for anyone, but it’s especially dangerous for maritime workers. Think about someone with narcolepsy or someone who is exhausted because sleep apnea is robbing them of the deep sleep that they need. Do you want them in an important position where the safety of others is in their hands?
The best case scenario is that someone with a sleep disorder only ends up hurting themselves. This isn’t the only potential outcome though. Sleep-deprived people can cause terrible accidents and plenty of injuries. This is why maritime industry employers must treat this issue and the health of their workers seriously.
When Can an Employer Be Held Negligent?
If a worker stays up late on their own and then makes a mistake that injures them the next day, that’s obviously not something to blame on an employer. However, if a worker has clearly developed a sleep disorder and the employer does not care, that could be negligence on their part. This is a tough industry. There are many people who pride themselves on working the long hours and doing things that not everyone can do.
This does not mean that you forego safety though. An employer that pushes workers too hard and deprives them of sleep is just ensuring that accidents and injuries are eventualities. If you think that you were hurt due to a sleep disorder and a negligent employer, you may be able to sue for damages.
Contact a Maritime Injury Lawyer
If you have developed a sleep disorder as a result of your time working in the maritime industry, we want to hear from you. Contact Amy C Brown Law, PLLC to schedule a consultation and learn more about what our lawyers can do for you.
