No-one expects to be hurt when at work unless you are in a very high risk job. However, accidents can happen anywhere at any time, even in what appears to be a safe and orderly work environment like a Safeway supermarket. Injuries of any kind can become a financial burden, not just because of the direct costs of medical treatment but because of lost earnings if you are unable to resume work quickly. If you work for any large organization or company it’s most likely you will be able to file a workers’ compensation claim with your employer’s insurer. Talk to a workers’ comp. attorney if unsure of your rights. Company Profile for Safeway Inc. Safeway supermarkets are primarily located west of the Mississippi. They were first established in 1915 and were characterized with what at the time was a novel idea: customers couldn’t buy produce on credit, which meant they also couldn’t go into debt. Safeway was acquired by Albertsons in 2015 and the Safeway chain remains a subsidiary of its parent. Safeway’s headquarters are in Pleasanton, California while Albertsons is in Boise, Idaho. There are currently 1308 Safeway supermarkets selling the typical variety of goods expected in a general supermarket. In many towns and suburbs in the western states, Safeway is the most common, sometimes only, large supermarket. The total number of employees working for the chain, including Albertsons stores operating under their own name, was 250,000 in 2015. Hourly Wages at Safeway The bulk of Safeway employees work in the supermarkets themselves as cashiers and sales assistants, bakery and deli workers, as well as those involved in the delivery and warehouse divisions. The range of hourly wages varies considerably but is important when calculating what a workers’ comp. claim should consist of. The following list of employee wages is just a small sample of the entire Safeway employee contingent. The figures have been derived from payscale.com’s website as listed in March 2017. Safeway supermarkets are open for long hours, 7 days a week. Cashiers earn between $7.90 and $12.73 an hour, depending on the shift they normally work. Deli clerks earn between $8.21 and $13.20 an hour. Bakers earn between $8.72 and $10.38. Courtesy clerks earn between $8.13 and $10.38. How Much Would a Safeway Claim be Worth? If you are injured while working for Safeway Inc. you will probably be considering filing a workers’ comp. claim. These claims only compensate for economic damages and are unlike personal injury claims which may include components for “pain and suffering” i.e. psychological and emotional damages. The two component of a workers’ comp. claim which must be carefully considered are the costs of medical treatment and any lost earnings. The latter are never the full wage that has been lost but a percentage of what the injured or sick employee might have earned if he or she had been able to return to work. A common percentage is 66% of the normal wage. To use an example from the list of Safeway employees above, a bakery worker earning $9 an hour who has suffered from a severe burn injury and might be off work for several weeks should claim $6 an hour for the number of hours normally worked. Contact a WC Attorney if Confused About Your Claim Workers’ compensation claims are not always easy to deal with. Insurers can make it hard to recover what has been lost. In some cases, you may even find that your claim is denied. If you are confused about the claim process or need help at any stage of the process, it is worth contacting an experienced workers’ comp. attorney. *The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Safeway, or any other company, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
