If you lived in a different era, suffering a workplace injury could be a tragedy. Your employer might fire you right away, and you’d have to figure things out on your own.
If you ever suffer severe damages at work, you might think that it is the end of the world. Fortunately, because there are so many legal protections for injured employees, it is not. You and your St. Louis workers compensation attorney should be able to find a way to make your issues manageable. Here are 5 of those protections.
Workers’ Compensation
One of the most utilized protections is workers’ compensation. Before it was around, companies would often discard injured employees if they could not work anymore. Then, with the passing of these laws, the government mandated that businesses must take care of their workers if they sustained damage on the job. The result is that almost every company has workers’ compensation insurance, and will pay you if you are injured. The sum of that payment depends on factors like how much work you’ll need to miss and your medical bills.
Retaliation Restrictions
The law also mandates your protection after pursuing workers’ compensation. Sometimes, an employer will try to fire an injured employee. Other times, they will invite that worker back but treat them poorly. Either way, that business will be guilty of retaliation, which is illegal. If you ever feel that your employer is retaliating against you after an injury, you should speak with a lawyer right away.
Social Security Disability
The unfortunate aspect of workers’ compensation is that it only covers injuries that took place at work. If you sustain damage in your personal life, you will not be eligible. Still, you have options for obtaining compensation. One of the best choices is Social Security Disability, which is a government program that pays benefits to those that cannot work.
Disability Accommodation
If your injuries are severe enough, you will not be able to function as a typical employee. As an example, a worker in an office setting that has a severe leg injury may need extra space because they cannot fit in a conventional desk. In these cases, the employer is expected to accommodate that need.
Third Party Civil Lawsuits
Under certain conditions, you may decide to pursue a third-party lawsuit in addition to workers’ compensation. The following are two examples.
Defective Product – If you work in a factory, you will likely be around many pieces of heavy machinery throughout your day. If one of them is defective, it could hurt you. In this situation, you might choose to sue the manufacturer.
Auto Accident – If you sustain an injury while driving for your employer, you should be eligible for benefits. Still, you may decide to bring a lawsuit against the other driver in addition to filing for workers’ compensation.
If you lived in a different era, suffering a workplace injury could be a tragedy. Your employer might fire you right away, and you’d have to figure things out on your own. Fortunately, we now have laws that protect you against these types of injustices. If you ever think that you might be able to utilize one of them, you should discuss your strategy with an experienced St. Louis work injury attorney to ensure your legal right to compensation is protected.