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Types of Common Workplace Injuries
Workplace injuries can happen very fast, and it can be hard to know whether your situation will be eligible for a workers’ compensation claim. One way to find out before you get legal representation involved is to learn about some of the most common workplace injuries and compare you situation.
Many times, people think their injury won’t be eligible for workers’ compensation, when in reality, it will be. Learning more about the common injuries is the first step.
Some of the most commonly occurring workplace injuries include:
- Slip and fall: Injuries from slipping on wet or slippery floors, falling on uneven floor surfaces, or slipping and falling on uncleared walkways during winter.
- Workplace assault: When one or more workers are assaulted while at work.
- Traffic incidents: Crashes and other injury-causing accidents while in company vehicles.
- Caught in/compressed by: Injuries caused by heavy machinery, often taking place in factories.
- Fall to a lower level: Falling off a roof, off a ladder, down stairs, etc.
- Struck by an object: Injuries caused by objects dropped by another person or falling objects.
- Struck against an object: Injuries caused by hitting a door, wall, window, etc.
- Overexertion: Perhaps the most common injury, these consist of injuries related to pushing, pulling, holding, throwing, carrying, or lifting.
- Repetitive motion: These injuries are caused by performing the same action over and over. Injuries can include carpal tunnel syndrome and back injury from muscle and tendon damage.
What You Need to Know About Workers’ Compensation Cases
When you’re filing a work injury claim, a workers’ compensation attorney can be of great help, but it’s also important that you be aware of certain things. For example, you’ll want to know what the statute of limitations is for seeking compensation.
You’ll also need to know what paperwork to hold onto, such as medical bills and incident reports, and you’ll want to know what type of payment to seek. There are a few types of compensation in these situations—permanent injury, lost wages, medical reimbursement, and more. For clarification on any of these details, a work injury lawyer can help a great deal.
The Filing Process for Claims
Filing a claim can be a complicated process, which is why it’s beneficial to hire legal representation for help sorting through everything.
The first step in this process is notifying your employer. This should be done within seven days of the injury occurring. If you seek medical treatment, be sure to inform staff that you have a work-related injury, as your employer may require you to see specific physicians or visit certain facilities.
Next, the insurance carrier will open a claim for benefits once they receive reports from the employer or doctors. If the claim is compensable, they will contact the injured person and the employer to determine what the rate of pay will be for the person while they are out of work. If the claim is rejected, the worker who is injured will then have the opportunity to file for an appeal of that decision.
