Even in what might seem relatively benign working conditions, accidents can still happen. In an office environment, for example, slip and fall accidents are still relatively common and that means potential injuries. National Weather Service employees should be protected while at work by workers’ compensation provisions like most employees. This means that a workplace injury may be compensated by insurance payments for medical treatment and part of any lost earnings. National Weather Service employees have an organization that represents them at work and can be used to understand the claim process in the event of an injury at work. The National Weather Service Employees Organization The National Weather Service Employees Organization (NWSEO) was first established in 1967. It has over 4,000 members who are all working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as weather forecasters, support personnel and technicians. The NWSEO was set up to protect and enhance the working conditions of its members at work. It has had considerable success over the years in collective bargaining with the National Weather Service and has the ability to lobby the Administration and Congress to preserve weather service employee jobs. Weather Service Employees Can Become Injured While at Work You may think that the job of a Weather Service employee is a dream job with few risks attached. However, weather service employees may not always be found cocooned in an office environment tinkering with instruments and computers. Part of their job may be outdoors in a range of climatic and potentially hazardous environments. Accidents can happen anywhere and employees are entitled to compensation wherever they work, including the possibility of being involved in a road traffic accident on the way to or from a monitoring station. What to Do If a Weather Service Employee Has Been Hurt On the Job Whatever the nature of the work related accident, medical treatment must be considered the first priority. Some injuries do not necessarily develop until days, or even weeks, after an actual accident has occurred. For a workers’ compensation claim to be successful, full documentation regarding the injury and treatment received, including any costs that have been born initially by the injured employee need to be available. The employee’s supervisor should be advised of the accident and injury involved and this should be followed within a specified time frame by a formal written accident report. A representative from the NWSEO should be contacted before a claim is filed as he or she can provide useful information about the process involved. Why Contact an Attorney A workers’ comp. attorney is not strictly necessary for most routine workers’ compensation claims, but not all claims are straightforward. In the event of an obstructive attitude from either the employer or the insurer providing injury cover, including an outright denial of a claim, legal help from an experienced workers’ compensation attorney will be very useful. Disclaimer The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against your employer, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
