Although the chances of suffering an on-the-job injury within a laborious industry like construction are much higher than say an office job, accidents can still happen. When someone is injured at work, it’s imperative that they know what their rights are, how to seek adequate legal representation, and know what important steps they have to take next.
Workers’ compensation is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical advantages to employees injured during the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment’s of the employee’s right to sue their employer for negligence. Workers’ compensation is essential for workers who are injured or become ill on-the-job, but additional steps are often needed to be fully accommodated and compensated.
Seek Legal Guidance for Workplace Lawsuits
It’s easy to want to handle any workplace issues on your own. But workers’ compensation, as we mentioned before, is one of those workplace lawsuits that often requires additional work and guidance to come to full fruition.
Fortunately, our lawyers are here to help you through every step of the process. Why should you seek out a lawyer for workplace lawsuits like this? Here are a few reasons:
- You don’t understand workers’ compensation law. A lawyer will be able to guide you through all of the intricacies and form the best case possible.
- Your employer may deny your claim. If you’re not sure what to do in this situation, an experienced workers’ comp lawyer can help.
- Your employer may not report your claim to the appropriate parties. In this case, it’s important that you contact a lawyer and ensure your claim is properly processed.
- You haven’t received proper medical care for your injury. A lawyer can help you get the correct treatment authorized.
Workplace Harassment Lawsuits
When you file a harassment claim against your employer, it’s important to have a team of experienced workplace lawsuit lawyers on your side. Matters like workplace harassment lawsuit settlements can get complicated quickly, and you must know much more than just the law to succeed.
If you’re unsure of what qualifies as workplace harassment, here are a few examples:
- Discriminatory Harassment – This kind of harassment includes abuse as a direct response to an employee’s race, gender, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and age. This type of harassment may also provide adequate grounds to sue employers.
- Personal Harassment – If an employee is the subject or recipient of inappropriate comments, offensive jokes, personal humiliation, or intimidation tactics, a personal harassment claim can be made.
- Physical Harassment – Behaviors related to physical harassment include direct threats of physical harm, physical attacks (shoving, punching, etc.), or destroying personal property.
- Sexual Harassment – Employment lawsuit cases related to sexual harassment often include behaviors such as sexual comments and jokes, inappropriate sexual touching or gestures, and invading space in a personal, sexual way. This includes quid pro quo sexual harassment, as well.
If you feel you’ve been a victim of any of these types of harassment, there is the possibility of suing your employer while still employed. However, you should never attempt this without a team of workplace lawsuit lawyers working with you.
Workplace Injury Lawsuit
No one ever wants to get injured on the job, or at any point for that matter, but since these accidents do happen, it’s important to know what legal options are available. There is a misconception across the U.S. workforce: many workers assume that if they have been injured at work they are only entities to workers’ comp benefits — that’s not always the case.
Filing a workplace injury lawsuit might seem intimidating, but it’s often an important step to being compensated for any lost wages, medical expenses, anymore. Workers’ compensation is important and helpful, sure, but filing a workplace injury lawsuit typically leads to the ill or injured worker receiving more money.
Again, work-related injuries can occur in virtually any field, but there are certain careers where employees are at much more of a risk. Construction, for instance, is one of the most common industries involved in workers’ compensation claims and workplace lawsuits regarding injuries. Here are some of the construction-related accidents that often result in worker injuries:
- Operating equipment failure — This occurs when a system or piece of equipment no longer functions as intended. Workers attempting to repair malfunctioning pieces of equipment are at an increased risk of suffering an injury, especially electric shocks.
- Collapsing roof or structure failure — If a building or other structure is worn-down, feeble, or is hit by severe weather, a collapse could occur. Additionally, poor design, poor construction, and lack of maintenance could result in a collapsed roof.
- Fires and explosions — OSHA reports that workplace fires and explosions kill 200 and injure more than 5,000 workers each year. Similarly, these issues have significant financial impacts, as well — costing businesses more than $2.3 billion in property damage.
- Crane accidents — Nearly 45% of crane-related incidents occur when the boom or crane comes in contact with energized power lines. Additionally, rigging failures, dropped loads, overturned cranes, and hook lifting device issues could cause result in serious injuries.
- Bodily reaction injuries — These injuries can be caused by bending, reaching, climbing, standing, sitting, or slipping.
- Overexertion — Physical overexertion is a common cause of workers’ comp claims. Overexertion typically occurs as a result of repetitive motion and can include excessive lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying, throwing, and holding.
- Being struck by an object — For workers under the age of 24, being struck by or against objects (not including vehicles) is the leading cause of unintentional injury resulting in energy room visits. Certain jobs have a much higher risk for this kind of injury, but workers in all fields need to be careful at all times.
No matter the situation, if you or a loved one has suffered a work-related illness or injury, you should seek legal representation, file a workplace injury lawsuit, and put this emotionally and financially stressful situation behind you once and for all. Contact Alvarez Law Office right away to find out how you can be compensated for an illness or injury as a result of the conditions of your workplace!