UPS, like any company, has regulations and best practices to ensure safety. But accidents can happen in any workplace, and those accidents can result in severe injuries. A back injury that you receive while working at UPS could leave you debilitated for months--which means you won’t be able to work. However, just because you can’t work while recovering doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to support yourself. If you file a workers’ compensation claim, you might be able to get the money you need to survive during your recovery process and return to work in good shape. This process wouldn’t be a surprise to your employer because most employers have workers’ compensation insurance for precisely this kind of scenario. File a claim as soon as possible and without fear; it could make all the difference during your recovery. If you consult a workers’ compensation attorney during the process, you might have a higher chance of getting the compensation you need. Company Profile: UPS UPS (which stands for United Parcel Service) was founded in 1907 in Seattle, Washington. Back then, the company’s main service was providing package delivery to retail stores. After twelve years, the company expanded into California, and by 1975, it started servicing the contiguous U.S. That was the same year it went international, and it continues to serve as one of the world’s major shipping companies. The now-enormous company earned nearly $61 billion in revenue in 2016 and had a workforce of 434,000 employees worldwide that same year. The tremendous growth has allowed the company to enjoy worldwide success, and it shows no signs of stopping. UPS, Your Back Injury, and You One of the particularly unfortunate aspects of getting a back injury is that it’s the kind of injury that can affect your ability to do many different kinds of jobs. A back injury could leave you completely incapable of performing your job if you’re a package handler; it would be hard to lift packages without experiencing an enormous amount of pain. Even though it requires less intense physical exertion, a back injury could also affect you if you’re a driver because you have to sit upright for hours. Back injuries can be especially troublesome because even if you’re sitting still, your back pain could be so severe that you’re unable to even sit at a desk. Even if you’re working a relatively sedentary desk job at UPS, a back injury could still leave you incapable of performing your duties. Common Causes of Back Pain UPS workers are involved in a range of workplace activities, such as sitting at an office desk as an administrative worker with insufficient back support and heavy lifting of packages which can exert pressure on the back and cause a back injury. Some UPS workers also get injured from heavy packages falling off storage shelves in UPS warehouses. What to Do if You Get Hurt Working at UPS The first step to take after a back injury is to seek medical treatment which ensures a diagnosis and the correct treatment is administered. UPS may ask you to get your medical attention from a named medical center and doctor of its choice or you may be able to choose. The next step to take is to let your supervisor know you have been injured. In order to ensure you get the WC you deserve you may need to inform your supervisor within a specified period of time. This should be done in writing so you have the proof showing you have reported the injury. Failing to do this could mean you may not be eligible to apply for workers’ compensation. As long as you are well enough you may be asked by your employer to fill in an official WC claim form. If you haven’t been provided with this form you should ask for one from your state’s workers' compensation board. You will need to provide the following information: the type of back injury; time and date of the injury; where in the UPS workplace the back injury took place; whether anyone else was involved in the accident that caused the back injury; how the back injury occurred; the medical treatment so far received for the back injury. Included in the claim form should be evidence to back up that your back injury took place while engaged in workplace duties. This is what is most often disputed by workplace WC insurers. The evidence could be any or all of the following: eye witness accounts of the accident; photographs taken at the accident site; medical report describing the back injury and its cause; surveillance camera footage. It is common practice for your UPS employer to file your WC claim for you with the company’s workers’ compensation insurer as well as your state workers' comp. board. Once your WC claim has been assessed by the UPS insurer, you will be told if your claim has been successful and how much compensation you will receive. If your WC claim has been denied, you will need a workers’ comp. lawyer to help you file an appeal. Common Back Injuries You Could Get Working Lower back strain caused by lifting objects without assistance which are too heavy to lift easily; Bulging, herniated, and slipped discs which can be caused while you are turning or twisting to lift an object. Lifting an extremely large or heavy object can put great strain on the lower back causing a slipped disc to take place. Fractured vertebrae caused by a falling object from above; Pinched nerves may occur anywhere in the body but most often occur in the back, neck, wrists and elbows and can be caused by repetitive actions of a UPS office worker working on a computer. Spinal cord damage could occur if a UPS worker falls while retrieving a package from a UPS warehouse shelf. Whether you have hurt your back in an accident or it is an injury that has developed over time due to repetitive actions, you may still qualify for workers’ compensation. The important thing is not to ignore the injury but report it to your supervisor. You should then file a WC claim as soon as possible to cover your medical treatment and depending on your state up to two thirds of your weekly wages while receiving treatment and recovering from a back injury due to workplace activities. Most states have a statute of limitations in force for filing a WC claim. This could be up to three years, but once this deadline has been reached you are unlikely to be eligible any longer to file a WC claim. What You Could Receive Glassdoor indicates that the average UPS package handler makes about $11.36 per hour, which comes out to over $1,900 a month. Predicting how long a back injury will keep you out of work is somewhat difficult since their severity varies so much, but it’s not unreasonable to expect to be out for six months. With that hourly wage, that amounts to well over $11,400 if you’re out for six months. Keep in mind that that amount does not include any other relevant medical payments that the insurance company may need to pay for, so you may be eligible for even more than that. How An Attorney Can Help With Your Claim To increase your chances of getting that kind of compensation, you’ll need to file your claim in a timely manner and you’ll need to consult with a workers’ comp attorney. Having an attorney on your side means that you’ll have a knowledgeable person who is able to devote a great deal of energy to your case. It also means that you’ll get professional legal help without having to worry about paying anything upfront. Workers’ compensation attorneys work on a contingency-fee basis, so they will not receive any money unless you win your case. This gives them every incentive to put their full effort into winning your case and ultimately, helping you have a swift and comfortable recovery. *The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against UPS, or any other company, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
