Workers’ Compensation for Injuries on the Job at a Grocery Store

We have thousands of grocery stores across the country. Each of the stores has dozens of employees who provide the different duties required to keep the store going and to handle the tasks that need to be done. While grocery stores have developed procedures that are designed to help reduce the risks of being hurt on the job and minimize the number of workplace injuries, injuries still happen.

Grocery store employees may slip and fall on spilled drinks or food, crushed produce, or bags or packaging in the floor. Employees could also be cut while wrapping produce or meat, cut in the meat department while cutting meat and packaging it, injured by box crushing machines or hit by pallets or tow motors.

Employees could be injured in grocery store parking lots where they could be hit by vehicles while gathering shopping carts, slip and fall because of ice, or be hit by customer vehicles while taking out groceries for other customers. Some other common injuries include improperly positioned floor mats, cuts from damaged grocery carts, falling items from the shelves, cracked sidewalks or pavement, missing floor tiles, and faulty doors.

Your employer has the obligation to give you safe working conditions. This means that they should work to keep the store free of any obstacles and have regular maintenance performed to any equipment to prevent any injuries to employees or customers. If your employer does not properly maintain equipment, they may be negligent in allowing you to be at risk of serious injury.

Every employer is required to have workers’ compensation insurance to cover employees who may be injured while on the job. The insurance is designed to help cover the costs that result from unexpected injuries that can be life altering and cause serious hardships for those who are injured as well as their families.

Hundreds Injured on the Job Each Year

If you are injured on the job, you should make sure your supervisor and human resources department are notified as quickly as possible. They should be given precise details and accurate documentation. You should seek immediate medical care, even if you have to ask them to call you an ambulance.

Make sure any witnesses are noted. Get the witness names and make sure they give their detailed descriptions of what they saw happen during the accident. You may need these witnesses in the future as well as you try to settle your claim.

You need to provide regular updates and documentation from your medical visits to your supervisor and HR department so they will know your limitation or be aware that you cannot yet return to work because of the severity of your injuries.

Workers’ comp cases can take longer than expected to settle because the insurance company isn’t going to want to pay you the true value of your claim. You deserve to be paid for your time off work, your pain and suffering, and have your medical expenses covered so you can try to overcome your injury as much as possible.

According to Safety and OSHA News, a Publix worker got ongoing workers’ comp and a $100,000 settlement for her hand being amputated by a conveyor belt. Because the grocery chain was found in violation of several OSHA regulations which caused several citations to be issued, the woman has now filed a lawsuit against the grocer because of the severity of the injury.

Consult with an Attorney

If you have suffered an on-the-job injury, you should not try to settle with workers’ comp without legal guidance. An attorney will ensure your rights and interests are protected. Making sure you are fairly compensated for your time off work, your medical expenses are covered, and your pain and suffering are given adequate consideration, an attorney will stand up to the workers’ comp lawyers.

You should consult with an attorney as quickly as possible after you have suffered an injury at work. The earlier you get representation, the faster the lawyer can go to work on your behalf and fight for your rights. Workers’ compensation is designed to help pay for your medical bills and losses if you are injured on the job, while also protecting the employer as well.

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