Sometimes Work Hurts More Than It Should
Michael Babboni
Personal Injury
Premises Liability
You go to work every day through rain, shine, and sometimes sickness. You know what you need to do to support yourself, or your family, and at the end of the pay period, you expect to take home a paycheck. But what happens when you take home something more, such as an unexpected work injury?Becoming hurt at work is more common than you think. The more you know about what you need to do should an unavoidable workplace injury occur, the better prepared you’ll be to handle it if something should happen.
Laws Are Beneficial To Both
Worker’s compensation laws are beneficial to employers as they prevent the risk of being sued by an employee if they are injured on the job. Employers pay out a certain amount to worker’s compensation throughout the year and if an employee gets injured on the job, worker’s compensation will pay out a certain amount based on the injury.
Worker’s compensation is also beneficial to the employee. It pays out medical bills and other monies, such as rent and living expenses, faster than if you had to wait for the legal process of suing the employer. Worker’s compensation also ensures a payout even in the event that the employer does not have the money to do so by going through the insurance carrier.
First Things First
If you become injured at the workplace, the very first thing that you need to do is to report the incident. No matter what the scenario, what the cause, or how it happened, an injury while on the job should be reported to the employer. In the state of Florida, the worker’s compensation laws require that an incident be reported within 30 days to the employer or the employee’s supervisor.
Though there may be reasons why reports don’t occur immediately, delaying the report opens the door to suspicion as employers are already leery when it comes to work-related injury claims. Some people believe that they’ll feel better the next day, but you might even feel worse after a few days so it’s best to report early. Others feel that their employer will be upset if they file a report, but employers are aware of the laws and they understand that it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Tell Them All About It
When you seek medical treatment for your injury, be sure to tell the doctor about all of the pain you feel, even if it seems minor. You might have pain in your leg and a bruise on your elbow that doesn’t really hurt—report that bruise. If you felt lightheaded for a few minutes after the incident but feel fine now--report the lightheadedness. If you stubbed your toe, banged your knee, or scraped your finger as a result of the initial accident—report it all.
This holds true for how you feel days and even weeks after the incident. Though you might feel better after a few medical treatments, you might not feel improved at all; or you might even feel worse. Always be honest and up front with your pain levels so that you can get the appropriate treatment for a full recovery.
Going Back To Work
When you doctor says that it’s time to return to work, your best recourse is to do just that. Staying away from work after you have been given the all-clear will not bode well for your case. Sometimes it can be considered a voluntary loss of income that you might not be able to recoup once all of the claims are settled. Your employer might consider it a refusal to work and can terminate you. If you don’t feel like you can perform the job, at least give it a try and show that you are physically unable; at that point, you can make the claim that you cannot continue in the same position.
Needing Extra Help
Sometimes workplace injuries are more involved. You might need to seek legal advice to ensure that you are getting fair compensation for the depths of your injuries. If you decide that handling a worker’s compensation claim on your own is too difficult to navigate, never hesitate to acquire legal representation to walk your through the process. It helps to have someone who knows the laws and how to get through the system without causing you, even more, pain and suffering.
No one ever goes to work with the expectation that they will become injured, but it happens to many people, every day. Be sure to report, document, follow the directions of your doctor, and seek legal counsel to get the compensation that you require.