Know Which Injury At Work Claims You Can Make

IrwinMitchell
September 20, 2012

Prevention is better than cure” as it is fondly said. Accidents may occur anywhere, anytime and to anyone. Accidents at workplace are quiet common and they are hazardous too. Some injuries may be minor; others can have serious consequences leading to financial or emotional instability, permanent disability, sometimes even worse – death. These accidents can be from fluke or at times careless errors. Some high – risk jobs offer training to their employees to avoid accidents. There are many types of accidents that might occur at workplace. Some of the common ones are listed below-

Slips and Falls – Wet floors, debris and obstructions, all play a major role in such accidents.
Heavy Lifting – Generally, lifting or moving something heavy leads to chronic back and muscle injuries.
Electrical – These accidents result in minor shocks, burns and sometimes major electrical shocks which lead to fatality.
Chemical – There are accidents caused due to harmful chemicals which are explosive in nature and have other hazardous effects. These are not common but chemical hazards can cause serious burn injuries and sometimes even explosions.

The worker gets the compensation benefits laid by the company. All the employees of the company are entitled to the injury at work claims. These claims reimburse the employee for the losses and expenses following an injury at the workplace and sometimes award a lump sum payment for a permanent injury or disability. In order to assess a claim, there are many factors which have to be considered to determine work injury compensation entitlements. It is very important to speak to a lawyer regarding the injury and the claims and the employee’s legal rights to compensation. The main elements which should be kept in mind are –

The severity of the injury, irrespective of the injury which has caused permanent or temporary disability.
Whether the injury is caused due to someone’s negligence and if it can be proved.
The State or territory it took place in.

The types of injury at work claims constitutes of –

Work accident claim – The employer must have insurance to cover any compensation claims that are made for the employees who are injured at work. This is called the Employers liability insurance. The accidents that come under this category are due to unsafe work premises, unsuitable equipment or materials, accidents caused due to unsafe system of work or lack of proper training to the employees. Sometimes it is also occurred due to incompetent staff. Such claims must be made within three years from the actual date of the accident. In case, the employee is under the age of 18 years, then this period starts after he turns 18.
Lifting injuries – These injuries are caused due to lifting heavy machines or any other items at one’s work place. In such cases, the intensity of the case is discussed with the lawyer and the compensation is received accordingly.

Injury at work claims are a boon for the poor workers and the employees who have suffered serious injuries at work place. As it is rightly said “Safety is a full time job, don’t make it a part-time practice!