Redding Workers’ Compensation Law Blog

If you suffer an injury at your place of employment, there’s always a chance it could result in your filing a workers’ compensation claim. While you have the power to do so on your own, it’s typically best to consult with an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer. Here are some of the many reasons to seek legal assistance: Answers to all your questions: Not only does a workers’ compensation lawyer know the law inside and out, but they can also explain how it pertains to your situation. This allows you to focus on your recovery, as opposed to trying to learn more about something you don’t understand. They will protect your legal rights: For example, if you receive a denial letter,...

Different sorts of insurance will apply in different scenarios. If you get hurt in your home, your health insurance policy will cover (at least some) of the cost of your treatment. If you get hurt on the job, then the chances are good that you will need workers’ compensation insurance benefits to cover your costs and provide some replacement income for your lost wages. While they may cover similar needs, like the need for medical care, the rules for using these benefits are different. If you need medical care through workers’ compensation after an injury on the job, do you have the same right to choose your medical professional as you do when you receive more routine medical services? Your Employer And...

Workers’ compensation helps to cover the costs associated with a medical condition that directly results from someone’s career decisions. Many times, workers’ compensation covers the costs of traumatic injuries, like broken bones or head injuries that a worker suffers on the job. Such injuries can alter the course of someone’s life and drastically change their earning potential. However, you don’t have to fall off scaffolding or get into a crash in a company vehicle to qualify for workers’ compensation. Some people qualified based on illnesses they acquired while performing their job. Could you potentially get workers’ compensation for a medical condition that ties to your career? You Need Evidence To Connect Your Condition To Your Work If you develop an aggressive...

Many workers are at risk of being burned, but not all burns are the same. Burns are classified according to their severity, which is known as the degree, but they’re also classified according to the cause of the burn. The cause is important because not all burns can be treated the same way. The circumstances of a person’s job determine what types of burn hazards they might be subjected to. Trying to keep hazards to a minimum can reduce the likelihood that a person will suffer from one of these types of burns: Radiation burn: One common cause of this is the sun. Individuals who work outside are at risk of this type of burn, but anyone who’s around radiation or...

Workers might not realize there is a class of chemicals that can cause serious, irreparable damage to the hearing and inner ear function. Ototoxicants are chemicals that can cause hearing loss and balance issues. They can be inhaled, ingested or absorbed directly through the skin. OSHA has issued an alert and continues to update it. They have grouped the otoxicants into five general categories: Pharmaceuticals, including analgesics and antibiotics Solvents, including carbon disulfide, styrene and trichloroethylene Asphyxiants, including tobacco smoke and carbon monoxide Nitriles, including acrylonitrile Metals and compounds, including mercury compounds, germanium dioxide and lead The administration has also identified numerous industries with higher exposure risk. These industries can include agriculture, construction, mining and utilities. Speech Discrimination Dysfunction Hearing loss...

Whether it’s because someone is off work due to illness or because of a downturn in the economy, having fewer people on the job to help with the work that needs to be done can make it more likely for you and others to be at risk of injuring yourselves. Understaffing is a significant problem in any industry, because not having enough people to work means that others may try to compensate and perform jobs without the support that they need. Inadequate staffing can be a major liability for employers when it takes place over a long course of time. For example, the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics reported that nurses were more likely to have higher stress...

Most employees probably don’t anticipate personal harm when they clock into their job each day. Yet, workplace injuries affect every industry nationwide. Some positions carry more inherent risk than others, yet there is always the chance that you could get injured and need to rely on workers’ compensation while you recover. However, with mandated shutdowns related to the pandemic, how are you supposed to handle a claim? 5 Things You Should Know About Filing For Workers’ Compensation During The Pandemic Along with countless other organizations, the California Department of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) made service changes in response to the coronavirus. Meanwhile, you may have been required to continue your job-related duties as usual. Considering potential confusion about how the DWC is currently...

Nurses in California and throughout the U.S. are exposed to hazards every day, so preventing injuries and illness should be uppermost in their mind. American Mobile Healthcare offers 10 tips to help in the prevention. First, nurses should stay healthy through daily exercise and a nutritious diet. The second tip is to obtain sufficient sleep. These two steps ensure a strong immune system and an alert mind. Next, nurses should always take care to wash their hands when on the job. To prevent the transmission of patients’ bodily fluids, they must wear the appropriate protective gear like masks and gowns. Staying up-to-date on immunizations is essential. Nurses can encounter hepatitis B, tetanus, diphtheria and more. The sixth tip is to be...

Workers’ compensation insurance is required in California. This helps cover medical expenses, lost wages and so on after an employee has suffered a work-related injury or developed a work-related illness. Of course, determining whether something is work-related can be difficult in some cases. Injuries that occur at the workplace count in addition to injuries incurred in other locations if employees were still engaged in some job-related activity, such as driving a company-owned vehicle and running a job-related errand. Even attending a company party or social event hosted by the employer counts as relating to one’s employment. Injuries suffered during a lunch break can count if the setting was on employer-owned grounds or connected in some other way to employment. For example, the...

When many people hear about workers compensation claims, they think about falls, broken bones, and other workplace injuries. However, there is a new threat to employee health that is being recognized. OSHA is now reporting that Ototoxicants, chemicals that cause hearing loss and balance problems when absorbed, inhaled or ingested, may be endangering the quality of life of employees across the nation. OSHA has grouped Ototoxicants into five separate categories: pharmaceuticals, asphyxiants, solvents, metals and compounds, and nitriles. In addition to the damage to an employee’s quality of life, this also poses a safety risk as these issues can cause workers to not be able to properly distinguish the voice of a coworker who may be warning them of impending danger....