5 Types Of Workers Compensation Claims To Protect Against

A worker’s compensation claim is always a struggle for a company. If you’re the owner of a company, you’ve felt the stress associated with them. You have lost a valued employee while they recover from their injury. Moreover, while their gone you will have to pay for their medical bills and other expenses while they recover. While not all accidents are avoidable, there are ways to protect against claims while following the workers compensation requirements. Here are common types of workers compensation claims to protect against with sound safety policies.

Overexertion

One of the most common workers compensation claims you can protect yourself against is overexertion. Overexertion is any sort of injury that results from pushing, pulling, carrying, lifting, or holding heavy or cumbersome objects. The common way workers get this is by when they try to move something heavy inaccurately. This claim is most common because this sort of activity is common in all sorts of jobs, even those in an office. To protect against these sorts of claims, make sure your employees know how to correctly lift and move heavy objects. This is from the knees, taking the weight in the legs and not the back. Additionally, giving employees doing physical labor regular small breaks can avoid overexertion. Overexertion is common, but easily avoided if you focus on moving objects slowly and correctly, instead of quickly. 

Bodily Reaction

Slips, falls, and skids can injure your employees in a way called bodily reactions. These injuries involve include ankle sprains and leg breaks caused by your employee falling or having to suddenly change position. These injuries are most common in workers who must walk around as part of their duties, such as nurses. This group of injuries also includes secondary injuries associated with bodily reactions. For example, if your employee turns their ankle in a fall, and they star having back pain from limping while the ankle heals, you’re liable for treating the back as well. To avoid these claims, make sure your workplace safety practices are up to code and that floor surfaces always provide grip.

Machinery Accidents

If your company uses heavy machinery, it can become a source of compensation claims. Industrial, and even office, machinery can cause serious injuries if misused. In worst cases, such machinery could leave your employee with a permanent disability. In such injury claims, if your employee can’t return to their duties, you’ll have to pay a percentage of their wages for the rest of their lives through workman’s compensation. For more information about this type of claim, visit https://www.fightingforyou.com/. To avoid these injuries, make sure only trained employees use dangerous machines. Moreover, make sure these employees follow all safety guidelines. Machinery can cause some of the worst injuries in a work environment, be safe around it.

Workplace Violence

In some jobs, there is the chance your employees will be injured deliberately by someone else. This is most common in some retail and security businesses, where the chance of robbery is high. Additionally, violence can occur among your employees. No one wants to envision death or violence in their workplaces, but that doesn’t mean it is not a possibility. Even if it’s an act of violence, your employees can still make workers compensation claims if they were working while it happened. While it is hard to avoid an incident like this, there are things you can do to improve your employee’s safety. Have evacuation and lockdown plans in place and make sure your employees know what to do. Also make sure to keep an eye out for employees with anti-social behavior or are acting differently then they normally do. Having plans to deal with workplace violence will not only protect you from a claim, they might save your employees’ lives.

Misconduct

Employees can also make workers compensation claims even if they were injured by their own misconduct. These are complex claims, and sometimes result in legal trials. Preventing such a claim may hinge on whether you can prove that the employee violated guidelines and put themselves in danger. To help prepare for this, you should make sure each person reads the employee contract and workplace guidelines. A great way to prove they understood them is to then make the employee sign a statement saying they have been informed of guidelines and agree to act accordingly. Such paperwork would be invaluable to protecting you from a claim.

There are many types of workers compensation claims your can protect yourself from. Overexertion is a common claim and can be avoided by giving employees breaks. Avoid slips and falls to prevent bodily reaction claims. Avoid serious injuries by training employees on machinery. Have plans to avoid injury in case of workplace violence. Use legal paperwork to prevent employees from claiming on their own misconduct. These simple steps will see to it your workforce stays healthy and won’t need workplace compensation.