Regardless of the industry or employment sector, every job carries a potential risk of physical harm due to occupational hazards, human error, lax safety regulations, and other contributing factors. If an employee gets injured during their job at the place of employment, they might incur significant physical injuries, emotional damage, and financial losses related to medical or surgical care, loss of income, occupational and physical therapy, emotional suffering, loss of consortium, and more. Under such circumstances, it is natural to wonder about the legal options at your disposal to obtain compensation for your damages. Workers’ Compensation is a form of financial assistance program offered by employers to cover work-related illness or physical injury. This system covers a wide range of physical injuries, ranging from minor cuts, bruises, and lacerations to bone fractures, organ damage, and even death. Keep reading as we take a closer look at the types of injuries covered by this system.
Stress Injury
Stress injuries result from repetitive action required to complete one or more similar tasks that employ the same body parts. Continuous stress on a body part can naturally lead to inflammation and injury of varying degrees of severity. Some of the most common examples of workplace stress injury include carpal tunnel syndrome, back pain, bursitis (inflammation of joint bursae), tendonitis (inflammation of muscle tendons), and more. Most stress injuries have an insidious course and are discovered only when they become symptomatic, causing pain or discomfort during routine work. These types of injuries can continue for a lifetime if they are not properly taken care of.
Traumatic Injury
Traumatic injury is a broad term that encompasses all forms of physical injury resulting from or related to a single causative incident. These injuries can vary greatly in terms of severity, ranging from minor cuts and sprains to concussions, bone fractures, massive hemorrhages, and burns. Some of these injuries require a significant amount of time to recover from. To qualify for workers’ comp, these injuries must be directly related to an incident that occurred while you were performing the duties delineated by your employment, such as a slip and fall incident that occurs while you perform your job. Make sure to reach out to a trusted legal professional immediately after your accident.
Occupational Injury
Occupational injury or illness results from direct exposure to harmful substances over the course of employment. Exposure to dangerous chemicals, radiation, loud noise, or known carcinogens like asbestos is dangerous for workers. They can have lasting physical, emotional, and financial consequences for unsuspecting employees working according to their assigned duties and schedule. A pneumoconiosis is a form of occupational injury that results from inhaling substances like silica, asbestos, and beryllium. This can result in reduced lung capacity and permanent lung damage to workers in plumbing, construction, mining, and other employment industries.
Psychological Harm
Injuries encountered during work are not always necessarily physical and might be psychological. Psychological stress due to work can result in mental illnesses like generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, anxiety or panic attacks, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These illnesses might require years of medications and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and leave victims with lasting emotional damage. This type of damage requires a good amount of therapy to bounce back from. Which can make it harder to do their everyday tasks.
Conclusion
If you or your loved one got injured at work, you might be able to recover compensation for your losses by filing a claim with your employer. A workers’ compensation lawyer at Kogan & DiSalvo in Palm Bay, FL can help you understand your legal rights and options in the wake of a workplace incident, represent your interests during negotiations or lawsuits, and handle all appeals or disputes related to your claim. They will review your case and make sure you get the justice you deserve. Research a legal team in your area that you can trust and build a strong claim.