Category: Workplace Illness & Injury

The holidays are quickly approaching, which means an increase in seasonal employment as some people take on new jobs to help pay their bills. The fall and winter months are some of the busiest times of the year for businesses, leading many to hire seasonal employees.

Seasonal employee work can be a great way to pay for holiday gifts or travel expenses, but there is some risk involved. Studies have shown that new hires are three times more likely than veteran employees to sustain a workplace injury—especially within the first month of the job.

Seasonal workers are usually less experienced and may not have received proper safety training from their employer. As a result, there are more workplace injuries. Some jobs, such as those in retail and agriculture, have a higher risk of injury due to the physical and emotional demands that seasonal workers are unaccustomed to. Read more

“I was injured at work…

…can I sue my employer?”

If you have a full-time job, it’s likely that you spend most of your waking hours at work every week. Therefore, it’s natural that you want to feel safe there—whether you’re in an office or a warehouse.

Yet despite all of the training and safety equipment that’s available (and even though you tried to be careful), you got injured. Isn’t there anything you can do to make sure it doesn’t happen again?

Yes, your employer has a responsibility to keep its workers safe, but there’s a lot you need to understand first if you’re asking, “Can I sue my employer?” Read more

Workers’ Comp cases aren’t always straightforward.

Here’s what is (and isn’t) considered a work related injury.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), an injury can be considered work related “if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing injury or illness.”

Sounds pretty straightforward, right? However, multiple occasions can arise that muddy the waters when it comes to defining the terms “work environment” or “work related injury.” Yet nailing down these definitions is at the very heart of the workers’ compensation program. Read more

The workers’ compensation program was designed to benefit both workers and employers. Injured employees are given medical treatment and lost wage benefits to help them recover, while employers are given protection from personal injury (negligence) lawsuits.

This system is designed to work without legal involvement, but unfortunately, instances occur when you need the guidance and assistance of an attorney.

For instance, what if you have a pre-existing injury…can you still get workers compensation? This is one issue that isn’t quite so cut-and-dry, yet it’s one that Florida workers struggle with on a daily basis. Read more

Workers’ comp was designed to provide reimbursement for injury and illness

So where does COVID-19 fit in?

You probably already know that the workers’ compensation system was designed to compensate workers who fall ill or become injured as a result of their employment.

But as a global pandemic still looms, it’s worth asking: “What happens if I contract the virus at work? Will I be compensated?”

Given the novelty of the virus, the relationship between workers’ compensation and COVID-19 is not well-established. But Florida law and recent memorandums can give us a clue as to how COVID-19 workers’ comp claims are likely to be handled in the future.

Read more