Your Employer’s Obligation to Provide a Safe Workplace
In recent years, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other government organizations have made a concerted effort to reduce the number of workplace injuries in the United States. As our workplaces become more advanced and more technologically refined, the number of accidents should be decreasing. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Thousands of workers are injured every single day in workplace accidents, the majority of which are tragically preventable.
In 2008 alone, there were almost 3.7 million workplace accidents reported in the United States – a total which represents approximately 10,000 injuries every day of the year. Some of the most commonly affected fields include construction workers, mill workers, and manufacturing employees.
Perhaps more frightening is the frequency with which employers attempt to hide workplace accidents in order to avoid paying workers’ compensation. According to a study compiled by the University of Illinois, UCLA, and the National Employment Law Project, only 8% of low-wage workers who were seriously injured on the job filed a workers’ compensation claim, and a large number of company doctors said they were pressured to cover up major injuries.
Ultimately, your employer has a responsibility to provide a safe workplace for you and your fellow workers. Accidents that occur as the result of a failure to provide a safe working environment are ultimately his or her fault, and he or she has an obligation to provide you with compensation for your injury.
Workers’ Compensation
Workers’ compensation is a form of insurance designed to protect workers like you who have been injured at the workplace. It exists to provide them with the money they need to cover lost wages and medical bills. In order to qualify for it, an employee essentially waives his or her right to sue his or her employer. So when your employer fails to give you the compensation you deserve, he is failing to honor his end of the agreement.
Your employer owes you a safe workplace. If he hasn’t provided it, and you’ve been injured, you have the right to workers’ compensation funds. If you aren’t receiving them, it is your legal right to sue. A qualified workers’ compensation attorney may be able to help you get the compensation you deserve.
If you have any questions about workers’ compensation law, the New Jersey workers’ compensation attorneys of Levinson Axelrod may be able to help. Please visit our website today.
Joseph Devine
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