What Is Considered A Workplace Injury?

Over the past five decades, The Floyd Law Firm has helped thousands of individuals injured while working in industries from manufacturing to health care. While we have helped clients obtain compensation after serious accidents such as falling from a scaffold or suffering burns in an explosion, not all workplace injuries are obvious.

Workers’ compensation insurance in both Missouri and Illinois covers much more than a single-accident injury or one that occurs directly on the employer’s premises. So, what is a workplace injury?

• Accidental versus occupational injuries: You can recover compensation for injuries that occur in a fall, explosion, or other single incident. These are called accidental injuries. You can also recover from occupational diseases or disorders or those that develop over a longer time. These can include rotator cuff injuries from repetitive motions, conditions caused by exposure to radiation or harmful chemicals, or loss of hearing or vision.
• Contracting an illness is a workplace injury: Mesothelioma from working with materials that contain asbestos is the most common example. This can also include health professionals who are pricked by a needle contaminated by another’s blood and industrial workers who inhale dangerous chemicals.
• Consenting to risk does not excuse actual injury: Football players know the opposing team is intent on tackling them. Construction workers willingly operate heavy machinery. Industrial workers and lab technicians knowingly use hazardous chemicals. This does not mean it is OK when they get injured.
• Strain or pain from repetitive motions is an injury: Repeating a motion over and over can wear down or strain muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues. Nurses and warehouse employees often develop back problems from heavy lifting. Truck drivers sit, unable to move for long hours. Mechanics work in tight spaces under vehicles. Dentists hunch over patients and strain their eyes to see small details.
• Collateral damage is part of an injury: You injure your knee in an accident, and it affects your range of motion. You compensate for the injury, but walking with a different gait causes new problems in your hip. The hip issues are part of the original knee injury.
• Work injuries do not have to occur on site: You can be compensated for any injury that occurs while completing a task for your employer, whether you are lifting a box at the warehouse, driving one to a second location, or walking one into a third-party shop.
• Third parties may have liability: You may have crushed your finger in a machine, but was the machine itself defective? Did you get in a car accident while running an errand? You may have a personal injury and workers’ compensation claim.

Were You Injured? Notify Your Employer And Contact Us For A Free Consultation.

It is important that you make a record of the injury. Always report the injury to your employer. Always get medical treatment. With our free initial consultations, you can always get advice from a lawyer about your rights and options.

Call our office in St. Louis at 314-863-4114 to schedule your free consultation with one of our attorneys. You can also send us your information, and we will contact you.