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How to Handle Office-Related Injury and Know What Qualifies for Compensation
Injuries at the office are no laughing matter. While it’s assumed that a business will take care of its injured employees, this is not always the case. Whether you are an employee or an owner, it’s vital that you know how to handle office-related injuries and you understand what qualifies for compensation.
What is an Office-Related Injury?
Generally speaking, an office-related injury is any injury that occurs while you are on the clock and that happens in the course of your duties. This might include anything from a slip and fall accident on a shop floor to a concussion that occurs due to inventory falling from a shelf. What’s important is not only where the accident occurs, but also when. Only those injuries that happen while at work and while on the clock typically count.
What to Do Next
Whether you are an employee or an employer, it’s vital that you follow your company’s stated protocols for handling one of these injuries. For an employee, this usually means reporting the injury to a supervisor as soon as possible. For the employer, it means contacting HR so that the injured employee can receive care. How both the employee and employer handle the issue can become quite relevant when it comes to matters of compensation.
For an injury to qualify for compensation, several things need to happen. First and foremost, it needs to be a workplace injury – it must happen on the clock and at the workplace, and it must happen when the employee was performing his or her duties. Compensation will not generally occur if the business properly follows the relevant laws and procedures, providing the employee with proper care and recuperation time. In short, compensation generally only occurs if the company drops the ball.
How to Handle Compensation Issues
If the injury is one for which compensation is due, it is important that the injured party contacts a personal injury lawyer who specializes in workplace injuries. The attorney will be able to analyze the case and let the employee know if he or she should proceed with any type of suit. A good attorney will also help the employee deal with his or her place of work to try to find a solution outside of the courts.
It’s always important to understand how to deal with workplace injuries. Whether you are injured or you are dealing with an employee injury, you need to know the law and what your responsibilities are. Only then can you make reasonable decisions about how you should proceed in light of the injury.
