Workplace accidents are inevitable and in most cases, the injured workers are eligible to get compensation. Therefore, when you are a business owner and you have three or more employees, you are required to put certain measures in place so that you can provide compensation to the workers.
All the same, you need to know the benefits payable to the injured workers if you are an employer. Here are the 7 facts you need to know about workers’ compensation.
Workers Compensation Insurance is a Must
Different states require business operators with three or more employees to get workers’ compensation insurance to protect them against work-related injuries. Workers’ insurance covers injuries suffered in the workplace, illnesses that are caused by working conditions as well as medical treatment.
The insurance also covers aspects like lost wages, rehabilitation, death as well as liability insurance. Regardless of who is at fault, workers’ compensation will provide coverage. The major advantage of workers’ compensation is that it protects you against litigation if an employee falls sick or is injured as a result of work-related conditions.
Legal Advice Makes the Process Easier
The other important fact about workers’ compensation is that insurance alone may not be sufficient to protect you against litigation. Regardless of having a worker’s compensation insurance, the workers can sue if they feel shortchanged by what they get after an accident.
Therefore, the services of a professional compensation lawyer may be required in different places. If you live in North Carolina, there are different lawyers that can assist with various work-related issues. Different North Carolina work injury lawyers help both employers and employees to solve compensation issues that may arise from workplace injuries. If the workers sue though they are prohibited by workers’ compensation laws, this is when the services of a professional compensation lawyer come in handy.
Injury Due To Influence of Alcohol and Drugs Changes the Outcome
Whilst workers’ compensation is designed to provide coverage to the employees regardless of who is at fault, there are certain exceptions. For instance, a worker who sustains injuries under the influence of drugs and alcohol cannot get compensation. Drugs and alcohol are prohibited by the law in any workplace. Therefore, an injury as a result of the influence of substances is a serious breach and violation of the law. In such a situation, the injured employee may not be eligible to get compensation.
Injury out of the Workplace Still Qualifies
The other important fact that you should know is that an employee can get benefits even if they were injured out of the workplace. The laws vary state by state but the workers are covered when they are injured in the line of doing their duties. For instance, an employee injured while delivering goods is entitled to get benefits. Remote workers can also get compensation as long as they are officially employed by your company. Injuries in the hotel or retreat while attending company business warranties compensation. However, an employee who is injured while on a break away from the workplace may not get coverage.
An Employer Cannot Discriminate Employees Following A Compensation Claim
It is against the law to discriminate against workers who claim compensation for injuries suffered in the scope of doing their duties. Employers are prohibited from retaliating or firing workers following their compensation claims. The state and federal whistleblower laws do not allow employers to ill-treat their employees since this is an offense.
Contractors Don’t Fall Under the Same Category
As an employer, you also need to know the employees that are covered by the workers’ compensation laws. In this case, “employees” do not include people like independent contractors. Contractors should have their policies to cover them in case of injuries.
Records Can Make or Break a Case
Employers must keep important records and files that can help in resolving disputes that can arise in compensation claims by their employees. All injuries should be reported immediately to the responsible authorities in the organization. Records of lost time due to injuries should also be kept together with accident injuries.
On top of that, the employer must provide necessary information to the workers about how compensation laws work. Employers must display notices that can be accessed by the employees.
Workers’ compensation insurance is designed to provide coverage to the employees who may be injured while performing their duties. However, you should know basic facts about workers’ compensation to ensure compliance with the law. The employees may not sue if they are covered by workers’ compensation insurance. More importantly, you should also know the employees covered and the benefits payable in case of injuries while performing their duties.
