What Situation Qualifies an Employee for Workers’ Compensation Coverage?

Work-related injury victims are entitled to workers’ comp.

Workers’ compensation, a no-fault insurance plan that compensates injured workers for their economic losses, was part of the grand bargain between workers and management. Workers surrendered their right to sue in court if management provided a streamlined compensation system. For many years, the Grand Bargain effectively filled that role. Now, however, that’s no longer true. Insurance company interests dominate the system. Furthermore, workers’ comp insurance rates have declined steadily over the years, so there’s less money in the system and less money to go around.

In the old days, a Tampa workers’ compensation lawyer was basically optional. Insurance companies pay certain compensation for certain injuries. Now, things have changed. Insurance companies usually offer to pay zero for job-related injuries. An attorney must diligently build an evidence-based case if victims hope to obtain maximum compensation for their serious injuries.

Trauma Injury

Back in the day, employers coined the term “industrial accident” to describe work-related trauma injuries such as:

• Falls: Slip-and-fall injuries are especially common in the hospitality industry. Grocery stores, restaurants, department stores, and other such entities depend heavily on foot traffic. With so many people coming and going, a slip-and-fall is almost inevitable. As for a fall from a height, a fall from as little as four stories above ground is fatal in most cases.
• Burns: Many of the aforementioned “industrial accidents” are temperature and chemical burns. Electrocution is one of the leading causes of fatal construction site injuries. Electrical wires carry energy that’s hotter than the sun’s surface temperature. Many industrial solvents and other chemicals burn the ear, nose, and throat.
• Motor Vehicle Crashes: Vehicle-on-vehicle and vehicle-on-pedestrian injuries are very common at Florida worksites. Many delivery drivers are under intense pressure to make deliveries as quickly as possible. Safety comes second. Additionally, mostly at construction sites, inexperienced operators drive huge vehicles with poor sight lines as workers hurry back and forth around them.

The A-word deflected blame away from their dangerous factories and onto supposedly careless workers. Today, the cause of the trauma injury is irrelevant. The victim could be partially responsible for the injury or even entirely responsible for it. As long as that injury is work-related, a Tampa workers’ compensation lawyer can obtain maximum benefits.

Occupational Disease

Trauma injuries strike suddenly and without warning. Occupational diseases occur slowly over time. Some common occupational diseases in Florida include:

• Hearing Loss: This injury may be the most common work-related injury in Florida, be it a trauma injury or an occupational disease. Noises as low as 35 decibels, which is basically a lawnmower engine, could cause permanent hearing loss. Complicating matters, many people do not immediately seek hearing loss treatment, thus limiting the doctor’s ability to address the problem.
• Repetitive Stress: Food processing and warehouse workers often do the same thing over and over with little breaks. They also stoop, kneel, or bend frequently. The body simply cannot take such wear and tear. Repetitive stress diseases among white-collar workers include carpal tunnel syndrome and computer eye strain syndrome.
• Toxic Exposure: We mentioned caustic industrial chemicals above. These chemicals, when inhaled, cause a variety of lung diseases and other diseases, including cancer. These diseases are difficult to diagnose, mostly because the victims don’t have lifestyle or genetic red flags.

If a pre-existing or non-work contributed to an occupational disease or trauma injury, maximum benefits are usually still available.

Work With a Savvy Pasco County Workers Compensation Lawyer

Victims need and deserve compensation for their serious injuries. For a confidential consultation with a board-certified workers’ compensation lawyer in Dade City, contact the Rooth Law Firm. We routinely handle matters in Pinellas County and nearby jurisdictions.