Do you know what to do if you get hurt on the job? Workers’ compensation insurance is an insurance that most employers must carry in order to protect their employees. Workers’ compensation can help cover any medical bills you may have from your on the job injury and help provide a portion of your lost wages. It acts as a safety net for employees. Business Profile: Starbucks Corporation Starbucks is an American coffee company and coffee house chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington. They have over 23,000 locations worldwide. They not only have coffee houses, but they also have automated coffee vending machines and a line of coffee products for in home use. Starbucks has around 191,000 employees involved in making coffee, serving, working as cashiers, and working in their warehouses. Risks Facing Starbucks Employees It might seem like an easy job to just go to work and make coffee, but Starbucks employees could face specific risks: Burns on the skin from coffee machines or from handling hot coffee and steamed milk. Injuries, such as cuts, while preparing food. Slip and falls despite wearing proper work shoes. Warehouse workers may suffer from slip and falls or hurt their neck, back, or other joints from moving heavy equipment or products. Cashiers and baristas may face repetitive stress injuries from repeating the same small movements for hours on end. For more specific articles on Workers' Comp while working for Starbucks, please see our pages: Burn Injuries at a Starbucks Slip and Fall Injuries at a Starbucks Top Tips For Getting Workers’ Comp as a Starbucks Employee* Injured Knee While Working for Starbucks Muscle Tear While Working for Starbucks Slip and Fall on Ice While Shoveling Snow at Starbucks Herniated Disc at Starbucks Workers’ Compensation for a Hernia Injury Working at Starbucks Injured While Working at Starbucks? Follow These Steps If you are hurt on the job at Starbucks, you should file a workers’ compensation claim. Your concern should not be whether or not you could have prevented whatever it is that caused you to get hurt. Workers’ compensation insurance is there to help you. You should speak with your manager or with an HR representative to file your claim. Follow these four steps to help protect your legal rights: Inform your shift supervisor immediately. Do not wait until the end of your shift. If your injury requires immediate medical assistance, such as a serious burn from scalding coffee or milk or a deep cut, you should call 911. If you slip because of a spill, let your supervisor know so that it may be cleaned up. However, if you believe that you may have broken a bone or if you hit your head, you should seek emergency medical care. You should complete an accident report as soon as you can. By completing the report right away, you can remember every detail that led up to the incident. If you called 911, you should get a copy of the police report a few days after the injury. If your injury is not a medical emergency, you should see a doctor as soon as possible. Ask your manager or HR rep about how you can file your workers’ compensation claim and make an appointment with the doctor listed on the policy. You can see your personal doctor, but you may have to pay out of pocket. You should keep your receipts because you may be reimbursed as part of your workers’ compensation claim. Contact a workers’ compensation attorney to learn about your rights under the law. The job of the workers’ comp adjuster is to pay out as little on your claim as possible. You should not sign anything without first talking with a lawyer. What to Do If an Employee Gets Injured While Preparing Food Restaurants, especially fast-food restaurants can be dangerous places to work. From slipping and falling to being on the receiving end of hot grease, the frequency of restaurant accidents that cause injuries has led to the development of systems to report harmful incidents. As one of the largest national quick service chains, Starbucks has established a system for employees to follow if they get hurt on the job. The most important step of the process involves filing a Starbucks incident report. Report the Incident Even if your injuries appear to be minor, you must report the incident that caused you harm to your employer. If you require emergency medical care, one of your co-workers needs to inform the manager on duty about the incident. Collect Evidence If you feel well enough to remain onsite, you should gather and organize evidence for a workers’ compensation attorney to review. You should take photos of the accident scene, as well as get the names and contact information of every witness for your lawyer to interview. Contact a Workers’ Comp Lawyer Filing a workers’ compensation claim is often a complex process that an attorney should help you handle. A workers’ compensation lawyer can help you plan to take legal action, interact on your behalf with your employer, and ensure you file all documents before deadlines. How to File an Incident Report If you sustained one or more injuries while working at a Starbucks fast-food restaurant, you must file an incident report to start the workers’ compensation claim process. Ask a manager for the proper documents to file, as well as the information that explains how you should file a workers’ comp claim. You should file your claim as soon as possible after the incident that caused your injuries. The Starbucks incident report that you file should include a detailed account of what occurred before, during, and after the incident. The first section to complete involves writing down your name, contact information, and job title. Then, you should describe the scene where you got hurt. For example, if you slipped and fell, provide a thorough description of what the incident scene looked like, as well as who witnessed the incident and at what time the incident happened. Because a workers’ compensation claim is filed to pay medical bills, you need to discuss what part of the body you sustained injuries and the severity of your injuries. Try to use easy to understand language instead of using medical jargon. Your workers’ compensation attorney submits photos of your injuries and the results of diagnostic tests. Conclude the incident report with a summary of treatment programs and physical therapy sessions. Make sure not to embellish your claim because an insurance adjuster might find fault with your explanation, and as a result, deny your request for compensation. Insurance companies often refer to incident reports to refute the claims made by employees. The Starbucks incident report that you file must be honest and accurate. After you submit an incident report, your employer must send the incident report to its insurance company. If your employer fails to submit the report in a timely manner, contact a workers’ compensation lawyer to help you move the process along. How to File a Claim Against Starbucks If you have been hurt while working at a Starbucks coffee shop, the first priority will be to get medical attention. Typical injuries are scalding, burning and slip and fall injuries. Unless the injury is so serious (e.g. you are knocked unconscious when you hit your head on the floor or counter) that you are taken to hospital for emergency treatment, you should take time to let your manager know about the injury and what caused it. If you intend claiming compensation later, this information must be officially recorded by management because it will determine the starting date for payments. It will also be evidence that the injury happened in the coffee shop while at work and not somewhere else. There will be a time limit imposed by state workers’ compensation regulations within which you must inform your employer about the injury. This could be as little as a week or two weeks after the date of the injury. Some WC insurers insist that you use their own medical provider or use a doctor or medical center that is part of their own network of providers. If you fail to use their preferred doctor or hospital for treatment you may not be able to obtain compensation. Alternatively, you may be able to choose or see a networked doctor first, then choose your own provider for treatment. The state determines how to file a claim. This may be through your employer, directly with your employer’s insurer, or with the state workers’ compensation body, board or agency. A WC attorney can help you work out what to do about filing a claim and what to submit with your claim. There is a statute of limitations that puts a limit on when you can submit a WC claim. This is usually two or three years from the date of the accident. It is best to submit your claim as soon as you can. As long as the claim is accepted, you will then start receiving WC payments until your doctor declares you fit enough to return to work. Gathering Evidence for a Starbucks Workers’ Compensation Claim You do not have to prove who was at fault when submitting a WC claim. It is a no-fault type of insurance and every employee at Starbucks will be covered as long as they claim for injuries that verifiably take place at work and not somewhere else. In fact, it is this aspect of a WC claim that is the major reason why some insurers deny a claim. They may be unconvinced that an injury actually happened at work and this is usually because there is insufficient evidence to show that it was a workplace accident. Evidence that you should provide with your claim could include: eye witness statements from other Starbucks employees who saw what happened and can vouch for your injuries; any photos of the accident scene and your injuries immediately after the accident. you can feasibly take photos with a cell phone; if the restaurant had a security camera installed (some do, some don’t), then footage of the point when the accident took place could be very valuable evidence if it comes to a dispute; the doctor’s report, describing the nature of the injury, its severity and the prescribed treatment, including any hospital surgery needed and medication. any medical reports and results of tests, such as x-rays and scans which are directly related to your injury; bills, invoices and receipts for all medical costs related to the injury. Protect Your Legal Rights Workers’ compensation insurance is there to protect you when you are injured on the job at Starbucks. You should speak with a qualified workers’ compensation attorney to learn about your rights under the law and how you may be compensated for your injuries. *The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Starbucks, you may not be entitled to any compensation. Helpful Resources Hurt Your Ankle Working at Starbucks*? How Much is a Claim Against Starbucks Worth?* Pinched Nerve While Working at Starbucks*? Received a Cut While Working at Starbucks?*
