Workers’ Compensation in the Service Industry

Workers’ compensation was designed to help the worker. Workers’ compensation insurance is designed for every kind of industry and is to help cover the medical costs, treatment and living expenses of workers who are hurt while working. In order to qualify for workers’ comp, you have to be hurt while on the job.

While being hurt makes most people think of a serious, one-time injury such as a slip-and-fall, or a cut, or a burn, that is not always the case. There are several kinds of injuries workers can experience and all of them can cause ongoing pain, ongoing time away from work and impact the individual’s overall quality of life.

If you work in the service industry you are covered by workers’ compensation insurance every moment that you are on the job. While that coverage is there to protect you, you need to understand that if you ever need it, the insurance company is not going to be overly generous and just hand over a fair amount.

Your injury or illness resulting from your job may require ongoing medical treatment. You need to consider that workers’ comp should cover those costs in the years ahead. With that being said, you don’t just agree to the first settlement offered to you because of your claim.

Injured on the Job during Service

If you are working in the service industry, you could be injured when the truck you are driving overturns in rainy weather. You may be driving a forklift or tow motor and the load may shift, causing a pallet of products to crush your foot. You could experience a malfunctioning packaging machine that causes cuts and burns to your dominant hand.

Of course, your injury may not be sudden. Instead, it could be a repetitive trauma that causes your inability to work and unbearable pain. Doing the same thing over and over can lead to carpal tunnel, which is damage to your wrists from repetitive actions.

If you stand all day and your feet are experiencing repetitive motions that lead to pain, you can also experience carpal tarsal, which is very similar but involves the bones of the feet and toes. If you have to reach up often, or make swinging motions, you could experience torn rotator cuffs, which are should injuries that can occur over time due to repetitive motions.

There are also injuries caused by equipment and tools that are used to do the job. You could experience lower back injuries because of the repetitive trauma experienced from riding in large trucks day after day for considerable distances.

Serious Service Injuries

A man who was a food service director at a nursing home suffered a fall that caused extensive injuries. He received a $375,000 settlement. He fell over a picnic table, suffering injuries to his head, back, neck, right shoulder, knees, and right elbow. He had five surgeries, suffering C4-5 herniated disc with right cervical radiculopathy and several other serious injuries.

Another example of a serious injury in the service industry includes a cable installation employee who fell from a ladder while helping a customer regain their cable signal. The employee suffered a back injury and a broken leg in the fall which resulted in the need for surgery and several months off work. He may require additional surgery in the future, so he will need long-term support from workers’ comp. This case cannot effectively be settled until the severity of the injuries and the extent of their impact on the individual’s life can be determined.

Seek Legal Assistance

If you suffer from an on-the-job injury, do not try to reach a settlement with the workers’ comp representatives. Instead, get legal counsel who will work to protect your rights. They know your rights and how you are going to need additional treatment in the years ahead. You should also consider if you will be unable to work in the future because of this particular injury.

Make sure you fully document your injury, note any witnesses to the accident, and provide complete details to your supervisor and/or human resources department. You should always consult with an attorney regarding such serious matters.

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