Even the safest occupations can experience workplace accidents. Slip and fall injuries, for example can happen just about anywhere. Being a member of a professional association like the Programmers Guild can be a boon when injured at work, but it won’t prevent accidents from happening altogether. Most professional workers will find that their employer will have workers’ compensation insurance which they can use if genuinely injured at work. This sort of insurance is of the no-fault type, meaning that you don’t have to prove that someone else was at fault. The Programmers Guild The Programmers Guild is a non-profit corporation incorporated in New Jersey in 1998. It has around 500 members who are mostly professional and technical workers in the IT industry. The aim of the Programmers Guild is to protect and advance the working conditions of the people in the IT industry. It also strives to improve the work environments of IT workers right across the IT spectrum. The Programmers Guild also actively opposes outsourcing by IT companies and the issuing of H-1B and L-1 visas to overseas workers. It aims to oppose businesses that attempt to recruit foreign workers claiming that there is a local labor shortage or those that attempt to draft ads that are designed to exclude applicants from the U.S. IT Workers Can be Injured on the Job, Too! It might seem that IT work must be quite safe, but accidents in any work environment are possible at any time. IT workers spend long hours in front of a computer screen and many of their movements tend to be very repetitive. Poor posture and repetitive movement are the main contributors to IT workplace injuries. Other injuries that happen from time to time are slip, trip and fall injuries that can happen when the floor surface is uneven, or carpeting is rough or torn. In a large office block IT workers may experience elevator accidents. Any of these slip, trip and fall type injuries can turn out to be quite serious with broken bones, dislocated joints being the most common injuries. Steps to Take if Injured at Work If you have been injured while at work and are contemplating a workers’ compensation claim, you will need to follow a fairly rigid process. The main steps to take are given in brief below: The first priority is to get medical attention. Make sure you collect all the reports and invoices relevant to your injury. Your employer will need notifying within a time limit determined by the state. File an accident report. The accident report will be needed to support the claim for compensation. Talk to the local representative of the Programmers Guild. The guild will be able to help explain the workers’ compensation claim process. File the claim for workers’ compensation. There is usually a long time period before this is not allowed, but it is better to file the claim as soon as you are able to do so. Why Contact an Attorney A workers’ compensation attorney can be very useful if you encounter any problems with a workers’ compensation claim. The attorney can explain your rights with regard to the state law on workers’ compensation and is able to negotiate with an insurer if the insurer is playing hardball over your claim or denies it. Further Reading Carpal Tunnel and Workers' Compensation Benefits Workers' Compensation and Pinched Nerves *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.
