If you have been part of a work-related accident, then don’t despair, as you have a wide variety of options at your disposal when it comes to receiving financial compensation and getting back on your feet.
Life is difficult enough without having to deal with a debilitating injury acquired from work.
One of the most constant and prevalent factors of human existence is the necessity of working so that we can put food on the table. Whether we like it or not, at the end of the day, the costs and fees that permit our lifestyle must be covered.
It must not be much of a surprise, then, when you consider that a work-acquired wound would be devastating to your overall wellbeing. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2.8 out of 100 people suffer from work-related injuries every year.
Since working while injured is impossible and the bills need to be paid, many Americans find themselves shaken to the core when affected by such a tragedy.
Fortunately, they have options at their disposal. In this article, we are going to give you a short overview of workplace injury laws and what can be done in the case of such an accident.
Already affected by a workplace injury? Contact a team of work injuries lawyers based in Georgia today!
What is Work Injury Law?
A workplace injury is classified as an injury, wound, or illness that has been caused, to some degree or another, by your current workplace. What counts as a workplace injury widely differs from state to state, with some wording the definition of an injury to “arises out of and in the course of employment” in order to avoid unrelated lawsuits.
The idea behind work injury law is that a workplace is automatically assumed to be safe (from various perspectives) on account of the fact that the health and safety of its employees is the responsibility of the company.
Sadly, not all workplaces try and make an effort to secure their premises from unforeseen dangers. Examples of perils to employees include defective equipment, exposed chemicals or hazardous materials, and a poorly maintained environment.
In general, an accident that occurs in the following situations is classified as a work accident:
- When the employee suffers an accident while on their way home from their workplace, from their home to their workplace, or to another workplace altogether.
- While an employee is working at the workplace and has an injury caused upon them by another person who is using an object acquired or found at the workplace.
- While an employee is working at the workplace and becomes injured while attempting to save either their colleagues or company property and equipment from damage.
- When the employee suffers an accident while en route to their chosen location for eating food during their break (and the other way around), assuming the break does not exceed 3 hours.
There are more circumstances that could be deemed as a work accident, though they are too many to list in a single article. The legal consensus is that if an injury was caused because of a person’s workplace, and assuming that the person was present or at least conducting activities related to their work during the moment of injury, then it is considered a work accident.
Most Common Workplace Injuries
There is a large variety of possible causes for workplace injuries. Most of these are related both to negligence from the employer as well as the employee:
- Musculoskeletal Disorders – Many of the physically-intensive professions attract some sort of overexertion injury. It is estimated that lawsuits concerning back pain alone can reach up to 7 billion dollars each year.
- Slips, Trips, and Falls – They account for roughly one-third of all personal injury lawsuits and are commonly caused due to spilled liquids, thus making areas wet or slippery, or other factors such as poor lighting, exposed cables, and disheveled surfaces.
- Moving Machinery – Workplace safety instruction guides make it very clear what to do around heavy machinery. Despite this, some workplaces do not take the correct safety measures for their employees, leading some to lose limbs over getting their body parts wrangled in the mechanism.
Your Safety, Your Life
Having to work is challenging by itself; when you throw in a painful physical injury into the mix, everything can suddenly become overwhelming. If you have been part of a work-related accident, then don’t despair, as you have a wide variety of options at your disposal when it comes to receiving financial compensation and getting back on your feet.
Contact a team of lawyers today and ask for their advice – you’ll be better off!
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