Injured on the Job? Start Here

image

No matter what job you’re currently working, you need to make sure your safety and health are a priority to your employer. If you’re a business owner, you need to make sure these concerns are addressed. Having security in the place you often spend more hours in than your own home is essential to a peace of mind and progressive productivity. OSHA laws and worker’s compensation are two ways you stay protected. However, worker’s compensation law differs all over the world.

The law focuses on individuals injured or those who have acquired a medical condition while performing job related duties. These type of occurrences would require one week or more of absence to qualify for compensation of wage loss and medical expenses. You would have to be considered a “worker”, but not necessarily an employee.

What? Yeah, that’s a little confusing… The term “worker” is broad and may even cover contractors depending on the terms of their contract. In the unfortunate event of a work related death, there is compensation for the worker’s beneficiaries, usually in the form of a lump sum.

The following list breakdowns a few of the legislation in different parts of the U.S. and Australia…

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) contains information for all of the following and more:

  • Division of Federal Employees’ Compensation (DFEC)
  • Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation (DEEOIC)
  • Division of Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation (DLHWC)
  • Division of Coal Mine Workers’ Compensation (DCMWC)

For Australia, here are a few things to check:

  • Commonwealth: Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (the SRC Act)
  • NSW: Workers Compensation Act 1987 and Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998
  • Northern Territory: Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act
  • Queensland: Workers Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003

Once you’re familiar with the law behind Worker’s Compensation, you’ll have to understand the steps that need to be taken when you encounter an injury or develop a medical condition on the job. You have to provide substantial evidence that your condition would not have occurred if you were not performing job related duties.

Here are vital steps you need to make sure to take when filing a claim:

  1. Seek medical attention right away. Your well being is a priority. The injury or ailment has to be documented by a medical professional who will be the deciding factor regarding whether or not it was a work related occurrence.
  2. Seek legal counsel. Some attorney’s offer free consultation.
  3. Fill out and submit a Worker’s Compensation claim form.

Should you end up needing professional assistance, you can check here for Australia or here for the U.S.

Make sure to be well informed in regards to health and safety within the workplace. Earning an income is as vital as breathing, but you must also ensure that you are alive and well enough to enjoy your hard earned money. Employers should ensure that the health and safety of their employees are not being compromised by the job they do or the environment that they work in. Healthy and happy employees equals productivity.

Veronica Davis