In our modern western world, the worker is as important as ever. Companies rely on workers to move their business forward. Without them, companies would only be an idea in the minds of those who wish to start a business.
You don’t have to go that far back in time to find the workplace filled with workers who were used, taken advantage of and discarded if they were injured to the point where they could no longer work. Workplace accidents that resulted in employees sustaining minor injuries or even near fatal ones often left workers in dire straits. The employers claimed no responsibilities for their work force. They would simply bring in someone else who needed the job.
These days, thank in part to many different sources, the American worker can expect a great deal more from those who employ him. Workers compensation lawyers fight for employees who are injured on the job. They work for the employee who is being neglected the kinds of treatment and resources that will bring an injured worker back to health and back to work.
In 2011, roughly 125.8 million employees were covered by federal and state worker compensation laws. If you are a worker and you’ve been injured on the job, a worker compensation lawyer can show you the numbers as they relate to our present day work environment. Worker’s compensation will pay 100% of the medical costs incurred as the result of an injury sustain while on the job. Worker’s compensation will also pay for lost time a worker might have accumulated due to an injury and it will do it with cash.
Workers compensation claim matters are what workers compensation lawyers specialize in. They know the laws and the procedures that injured workers need to take to be compensated for their injuries and time lost. In 2013 alone, there were 327,060 job-related sprains, sprains and tears reported by employees in their workplace. There were also 170, 450 back injuries and 229,190 slips and falls reported. Injuries have always happened in the workplace and, unfortunately, always will. Luckily, employers are catching on to the fact that worker compensation laws are in full force to protect the all workers. Workers compensation lawyers are their to help see that those laws are carried out and enforced.
As a result, great things are happening. Businesses are seeing that taking proactive steps to make their workplaces safe is actually saving them money in the long run. The fewer accidents the less they have to pay out. It’s always a good idea to put people first. It’s an even better idea to have laws that will protect them if they’re not.
The safety of the workplace is not simply for what we see as the poor factory worker. In 2013, all US men and women missed eight days of work due to an occupational injury. Aren’t you glad you have protection in place?