Working in the fast food industry can at times be quite a dangerous job as the worker is exposed to hot surfaces and substances which could cause serious burns. If you have been injured in an accident while working as a fast food worker and your injury requires medical treatment and recovery time before you can return to work you may be entitled to workers’ compensation. Most employers are expected to have workers’ compensation insurance which covers workers and releases compensation to any worker that is injured while working in the fast food industry. A successful workers’ compensation claim will pay a certain proportion of your weekly wage, your medical treatment and any costs required for rehabilitation. What to Do Before Filing for Workers’ Compensation When you are injured you must seek medical help as soon as you can. The next step is to report your fast food accident to your supervisor or employer. It is important to do this as quickly as possible because if you are slow at reporting the accident your employer may not think that the accident occurred while you were at work. Filing Your Workers’ Compensation Report As soon as your employer has received your accident report, you will be asked to fill in a form. You should include with that form any documentation you have that proves that your accident occurred while you were working as a fast food worker. This could include any or all of the following: • your doctor’s diagnosis, treatment and estimated recovery time; • written accounts compiled by reliable eye witnesses that agree that the accident occurred while you were working as a fast food worker; • receipts for medical treatment you have received and paid for; • photographs taken by you or other fast food workers who were at the accident site; • live video cam footage which shows where and how the accident occurred (if available). When you have completed the form filling and all the evidence has been attached, you must give in the form to your employer who will then direct it to its workers’ comp. insurer. If you haven’t heard anything from your employer about your WC claim for a long time, you should consider contacting the workers’ comp. office that is nearest to you. One of their workers will be handed the responsibility to look into the progress of your WC claim and s/he will contact your employer. After You File Your Workers’ Compensation Report Your employer’s WC insurer is unlikely to agree to your WC claim on the spot but is likely to conduct its own individual investigation before any firm decision regarding your WC claim is made. Often, WC claims are denied by insurers even if you have provided what appears to be valid evidence. If your WC claim has been denied all is not yet lost as you can appeal the decision by contacting your local Workers' Compensation Appeals Board which will give you the chance of filing an appeal. When the hearing for your appeal takes place the judge appointed to hear it will make a decision and will let your employer’s WC insurer know what it is. Contact a Workers’ Comp. Lawyer Because workers’ comp. claims are never easy to win it is a good idea to seek help from an attorney who can help you get your claim on the right track. Additional Resources Denied Workers’ Compensation at Chick-fil-A? I Got Hurt Working at Chick-Fil-A. What Do I Do?
